


It's A Twin Thing

by Kativii



Series: It's A Twin Thing [1]
Category: House of Anubis
Genre: F/M, Mystery, POV Original Character, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD (minor), Season/Series 01, Slow Romance, Teen Romance, Twins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-01-24 00:40:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 125,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21329368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kativii/pseuds/Kativii
Summary: Nina Martin follows her dreams and heads to Amun Boarding School in England, accompanied by her twin sister, Elizabeth, otherwise known as Lizzie. Lizzie and Nina quickly get swept up into teenage drama, as well as ancient Egyptian mysteries. Lizzie and Nina want different things, but together, the twins work through their differences as they try to balance a normal teenage life with the dangers of the Anubis House.Takes place during season one of House of Anubis.
Relationships: Alfie Lewis/Amber Millington, Jerome Clarke/Original Female Character, Mick Campbell/Mara Jaffrey, Nina Martin/Fabian Rutter
Series: It's A Twin Thing [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1537654
Comments: 30
Kudos: 47





	1. House of Secrets / House of Attitude / House of the Black Bird

**Author's Note:**

> I also have this story posted on Quotev: https://www.quotev.com/story/11701960/Its-a-Twin-Thing-House-of-Anubis

I eyed the giant American flag that was plastered to my twin’s suitcase. I’d tried convincing Nina to take it off, but she wouldn’t budge. Glaring at it now, I held more disdain for it than I did before we arrived in England. When Nina said they were going to boarding school, I had been excited, but a boarding school in England? Not as excited. Nevertheless, Nina needed this, so I wasn’t about to be the one to crush her dreams.

“What do you think the school will be like?” Nina asked me, practically bouncing with excitement. 

“I don’t know,” I mumbled. “English?”

“Thanks,” Nina rolled her eyes at me. 

“Will you please take that sticker off of your bag?” I begged. “We’re already going to stick out enough, we don’t need that flag announcing it.”

“I like it,” Nina said, matter-of-factly. “So it’s staying.”

Now it was my time to roll my eyes. Another minute passed, and Nina was becoming restless, looking around frantically for their taxi. 

“It’ll be here soon, calm down,” I reminded her.

“It’s late.”

“No, we’re early.”

“Same difference.”

A moment later, a small black taxi pulled up, and Nina practically jumped with excitement.

“Nina and Elizabeth Martin?” The cab driver asked when he stepped out.

“Yes! That’s us!” Nina replied, the relief evident in her voice. 

“Oh,” the cab driver said as he walked to us. “So you’re American then?”

“Yeah, how’d you know?” Nina asked as I held back another eye roll. “Was it the accent?”

“No, it was the big American flag on your suitcase.” The cab driver pointed to the flag as he picked up Nina’s suitcase off the ground.

“Told you,” I said under my breath.

“Right, well, that’s a little obvious.” Nina reached forward and quickly tore the flag off the suitcase. “Not the best way to blend in.”

I glared at my sister in annoyance. 

“Jump in loves,” The cab driver opened the door, before taking my suitcase as well. 

In the cab I spent most of my time on my phone, playing any game to distract from the nonsense that my sister was saying to the cab driver. Oversharing was one of Nina’s favorite pastimes. From what I’d overheard of their conversation, Nina was nervous about going to boarding school, and a small part of me felt compelled to comfort her. Before I could act on it, Nina’s phone chimed with a text message.

“Is that Gran?” I asked.

Nina nodded, typing swiftly before returning to her conversation with the driver.

I looked back at my phone, almost expecting a text from Gran as well, but to no avail. 

When we finally arrived at the campus, both Nina and I gasped at the beauty of the school. Despite the fact that I hated the idea of moving to England, I admitted that the architecture was gorgeous. You wouldn’t find anything like it in the United States. Nina directed the cab driver to our residence hall, the House of Anubis. Once the taxi stopped, Nina and I stepped out of the car, and while I followed the cab driver to our house, Nina stood in awe at the school. I followed the cab driver expectantly, while fishing for a tip out of my purse. When we arrived at Anubis house, I handed him the money before eyeing the exterior. 

“This place looks creepy,” I turned to my sister, who had finally caught up.

“Tell me about it,” Nina agreed.

The two story house was made of red brick and decorated with dark brown detailing. The front door was in the very center of the house, and on either side were two large bay windows that extended to the second story. The house was undeniably beautiful, but something about it gave me the creeps.

I didn’t want to spend time focusing on the weird vibe I gathered, so I grabbed my suitcase and started towards the steps of the house, Nina following my lead. When I approached the front door, I raised my hand to knock, only when I did so, the door opened by itself. 

“Woah,” Nina breathed.

“It was probably just the wind,” I refuted, before hesitantly stepping inside the house. “Hello?”

No one replied to me as we walked inside the house. The exterior of the house was nothing compared to the inside. On the right side of the entrance was an oak staircase, with a design that resembled an eye made in the banisters. The staircase was lined with stained-glass windows that cast the room in a warm glow. My eyes drifted back to the center of the room, where they met the gaze of tall man with a scowl on his features.

“Isn’t the bell working?” The man questioned. “Hmm?”

“I didn’t see there was a bell,” I started. “And the door was open-”

“So you thought you’d just walk straight in?” 

“That’s kind of how we deal with doors in America,” Nina interrupted, making me glare at her. Now was not the time for Nina’s big foot to get caught in her mouth.

“I’m Nina Martin,” she continued. 

“That must make you Elizabeth,” the man looked to me.

“I prefer Lizzie, actually,” I explained.

“You’re late,” The man held up his pocket watch. “Two weeks late.” 

“I know, we’re sorry,” Nina started. “We didn’t find out about the scholarship until-”

“I’m not interested in the reason why you’re late-”

The man’s voice was cut off by the voice a woman from the top of the stairs.

“Victor Rodenmaar, I hope you’re giving our new students the warmest of welcomes,” she said as she made her way down the stairs. “Well, as warm as he gets anyway.”

She smiled warmly at us.

“I’m Trudy Rehman, your housemother,” she exclaimed. “Welcome to Anubis House! It’s only slightly spookier than the brochure.” 

The man, Victor, then began to explain the history of the Anubis estate to us. Thankfully, Trudy could see how bored we were from the looks on our faces, and took us on a tour of the house instead. The living room was to the left of the entryway, and it was connected to the dining area, and then followed by the kitchen, The elegance of the entryway extended throughout the whole house, and everything appeared antique and filled with history. Of course, while they were in the living room, Nina was drawn to the painting of an old couple that hung on the wall. Victor went on to explain how those were the first people to have lived in this house—the Frobisher-Smythe’s. 

I eyed a framed photo that looked much more modern, and recognized the school uniforms from the pictures Nina showed me.

“Who are these people?” I asked. 

Trudy began to explain to us when Victor interrupted her.

“When you are quite ready,” he said as he took the photo off the wall.

“You are lucky to be in this house, you know,” Trudy said to us when Victor was out of the room. “It’s the nicest one. Despite Mr. Loveable.” 

We followed Victor up to the second floor while he explained the rules of the house. I tried to listen closely to what he was saying, but something about his voice practically put me to sleep. By the time we arrived at our room, I hadn’t heard a word that Victor said, but I started listening just in time to hear that the attic and cellar were off limits.

Nina and I walked into our room, eyeing the one bed that was already occupied. I wasn’t too keen on sharing a room with both my sister _ and _ another girl, but I wasn’t about to upset Victor by asking to switch. With that, we were left to unpack.

* * *

Nina seemed out of it, and I almost wanted to ask her why, but I knew that if she wanted to talk to me she would’ve hinted at it. She had been in a weird mood since after I came back from the bathroom when we were unpacking, and it was frustrating not to know why. But, I knew not to push Nina, so I didn’t ask.

“You coming to dinner?” I asked Nina.

“I’ll meet you downstairs, I’m going to use the bathroom first.” 

I nodded, and walked out into the hallway. As I passed Victor’s study, my gaze landed on his stuffed crow, a scowl forming at my lips. I turned away quickly, and made my way down the staircase. I heard other students in the living room, and debated whether or not I should wait for Nina. I wasn’t typically one to get anxious, so I was surprised when I felt it bubbling in my stomach. I swallowed, deciding it was worth it to bite the bullet and get the introductions over with.

When I entered the living room, everyone went quiet. My eyes surveyed the room, noting that everyone was staring at me expectantly. I recognized most of them from the picture I pointed out earlier, only I had no idea who they were. On the couch to the left of me was a girl with long blonde hair, a face full of makeup, and a pale pink dress. She sat next to a girl with curly black hair and bangs who held a book in her lap. Seated in a chair next to them was a pale boy with dark brown hair, who was eyeing me weirdly. On the other couch were two boys, one with wavy blonde hair that was styled high, and another whose dark skin tone contrasted with his friends. And standing directly across from me was a girl with straight red hair, and her face was full of hatred as she eyed me. 

“Finally noticed you don’t look good in stripes?” She said to me in a shrill voice. 

“Excuse me?”

“You changed your shirt.” 

“Have we met before?” 

“You ran into me earlier,” she accused. “You took Joy’s spot in our room, and you know something about Joy’s disappearance.”

“I’m sorry,” I said genuinely. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Do all Americans have the memory of a goldfish or are you a special case?”

“Patricia,” the boy with brown hair stepped in. “That was uncalled for.”

Before the red head, Patricia, could reply, Nina came in beside me.

“Hi,” she said enthusiastically, unaware of the tension. “I’m Nina, from America. I see you’ve already met my sister.”

Everyone turned to us in surprise, and a realization struck the girls eyes.

“There’s two of you?!” She practically yelled.

“Yes,” Nina spoke up. “We’re-”

“Twins,” the boy who spoke up earlier stated.

“Hey,” he said kindly to us. Nina returned his sentiment with a small smile.

“Welcome, space girls,” the black boy says to us. “Or, blurp bleep blop, as they say in your language.”

I chuckled lightly, while Nina gave him a weird look. 

“Supper’s ready!” Trudy called from the kitchen, and everyone made their way to the dining table.

I quickly found a seat at the table, between the black boy who thought we were aliens and the boy with brown hair. They both seemed nice from what I could gather, and I was grateful I wasn’t sitting near Patricia. Nina, however, had a harder time finding a place to sit, and she and Patricia ended up arguing before the boy next to me stepped in again.

“Take no notice to her, sit wherever you like,” he said to Nina. She looked at him gratefully, and I saw something in the way she looked at him that I’d only seen once before.

“What’s your name?” The girl sitting across from me asked me. 

“It’s Lizzie,” I replied.

“I’m Mara Jaffray,” she introduced herself, followed by the rest of the table. The boy sitting to her left, the one with the good hair, was Jerome, while the boy who thought we were aliens was Alfie, and the nice one was named Fabian.

“Nice to meet you all,” I responded, before turning back to my food.

Not long after, Alfie took two forks and was in the middle of trying to shovel as much of his spaghetti in his mouth as possible.

“Stop it Alfie, that’s disgusting,” Mara tried to stop him. “And you’re probably going to choke on it.”

“But it’s delicious this way,” He protested.

“Alfie, don’t play with your food,” Jerome said sarcastically as he flung a fork-full of spaghetti at Alfie, narrowly missing me.

Alfie laughed, and retaliated but throwing a fistfull of spaghetti at Jerome, but unintentionally hitting Mara as well. Mara yelped, and Jerome dove his hands into the salad bowl in front of him and threw it towards Alfie. This time I wasn’t clear from any flying food, and the salad went straight to my face. As the food fight expanded, I took cover from behind my hands, and managed not to get hit too badly. However, I couldn’t say the same for Nina. When I looked up, she had spaghetti all over her chest.

“Really guys?” Fabian groaned beside me. “Every meal?”

“Does this actually happen at _ every _ meal?” I asked him.

“Practically,” he answers. “You get used to it, eventually.”

“Oops!” Patricia yelled from the other end of the table. “Sorry!”

Patricia sounded anything but sorry. I didn’t see it happen, but I could put the pieces together from the empty pitcher in Patricia’s hand, and Nina’s wet clothes.

“Classy, Patricia,” Fabian commented.

“What? It was an accident.”

I rolled my eyes at that. “Are you okay?” I asked my sister.

“Yeah, except I think my sweater is shrinking to my body as we speak.” 

Fabian and I stood, him going into the kitchen and I to my sister.

“So Nina,” Patricia started. “When are you going to tell us what you know about joy's disappearance?”

“I guess when I actually know something.” 

“Give it a rest Patricia,” I scolded her.

Fabian appeared beside us, offering paper napkins to help clean the mess. Nina and I both gratefully took some, and I started to work on cleaning Nina’s sweater.

“Oh, come on!” Patricia exclaimed. “One minute I’m sitting next to Joy in class, and the next she’s disappeared. And you two have taken her place. Bit of a coincidence, don’t you think?”

“I guess it is,” Nina mumbled.

“Maybe they’ve snatched her and locked her in the cellar,” Alfie said, accompanied by an eerie ghost sound.

“Shut up Alfie,” Patricia replied before turning back to us. “Well?”

“Like I said, I don’t know anything about Joy or her disappearance,” Nina said.

“Her bed was empty when we got here, that’s all we know,” I spoke up, earning a hard glare from Patricia.

“I’ll get it out of you eventually.”

“Nina and Elizabeth,” Victor interrupted, walking in from the living room. “There’s a phone call for you.” He eyed the state of the dining room. “What’s going on in here?”

“Nothing,” Patricia answered swiftly. “Just, Nina spilled water everywhere.”

I rolled my eyes at Patricia, and guided my sister out of the room. I could tell that she was on the verge of tears, and I knew the last thing she needed was for Patricia to see her crying. She sat down in the chair and picked up the phone first, giving an eager greeting to Gran. She tried not to let on to Gran that she was practically crying, before handing the phone to me when she couldn’t keep up the act anymore.

“Hey, Gran,” I greeted.

“So, Nina seems to be doing well,” she started.

“Yeah, she’s doing great,” I lied. “She really loves it here.”

“And what about you?” 

“It’s okay so far, the uniforms are ugly, but I expected that much.”

I heard Gran chuckle from the other end of the line, and I noticed Nina was now crying, but trying hard not to.

“Gran, we’re in the middle of dinner right now—”

“Oh, yes,” Gran replied. “Don’t let me stop you.”

“We’ll call soon.”

“Only if you have time.”

We said goodbye and then hung up the phone. Nina was still crying, and I wasn’t quite sure how to comfort her. Before I got the chance, Fabian walked out with a glass of water. A frown formed on his lips when he noticed Nina was crying.

“Is everything okay?” He asked.

“Oh,” Nina exclaimed, trying to compose herself. “Yeah, it’s just allergies.”

“You guys have cats right?” I jumped in, Nina giving me a grateful look.

“No,” Fabian said, shaking his head.

“Might just be the soggy sweater then,” Nina said.

“You should get changed,” I told her, helping her up from the chair.

Once she was upstairs, I turned to Fabian.

“How long is Patricia going to keep this up?”

“Joy was her best friend,” Fabian explained. “I would assume she’s not going to let this go any time soon.” He gave me a solemn look.

“Got it, thanks.”

* * *

The next morning Nina went into school early, skipping breakfast entirely. I considered it myself, since I was both not a breakfast person, as well as wanting to avoid Patricia. The evening had been horribly tense, and apparently there had been another quarrel between Patricia and Nina in the bathroom. Nina hadn’t told me much about it, but I assumed it was more stuff about that Joy girl being gone, and Patricia blaming us for it. She was taking every opportunity to blame us for something. Patricia even accused me of taking her shoes this morning when she couldn’t find her pair, as if it were impossible that we both had the same pair of black wedges.

In the end, I decided to go downstairs and at the very least grab an apple. I didn’t even have to talk to anyone, just go inside, grab an apple, and then out the door. I made my way downstairs, and before I was about to enter the dining room, I overheard a bit of the conversation that was already happening.

“So who do you think did write it then?” I heard Fabians voice say. “Joy?”

“I don’t know,” Patricia whined. “Maybe Nina wrote it to drive me crazy. Where is she anyway?”

“Gone into school early, I think,” Fabian replied.

“Oh, so she’s a geek as well as everything else then?” Patricia mocked.

I rolled my eyes at that.

“It’s probably more about getting away from us,” Fabian noted. “I mean, we’ve hardly been very welcoming.”

That was putting it lightly.

“I know,” I heard Mara’s voice this time. “I was thinking that too. I feel a bit mean.”

After a short pause, I took that as my window and made my way into the room—pretending that I hadn’t just heard their conversation. Fabian was seated by himself on one side of the table, while the blonde girl—Amber?—was seated next to Mara, followed by Jerome. Patricia sat at the head of the table, and glared at me starting from the moment I entered the room.

“Relax, Patricia,” I started. “I’ve just come for an apple, then I’m out of here.”

“You can stay and eat with us, if you’d like,” Fabian offered, Mara nodding along.

“Thanks,” I replied. “But I don’t really want to, no offense.”

Jerome scoffed loudly at my comment. And even though I knew I sounded like a bitch, I didn’t care very much. I was a bit spiteful towards most of them since they’d been anything but welcoming to Nina and I. I grabbed my apple out of the bowl, and quickly exited the room.

I heard Patricia yell something at me as I walked away, but I couldn’t make it out.

Classes that day were overwhelming, and I spent most of the time silently panicking as the teachers discussed projects and assignments I had absolutely no idea about. Since we showed up two weeks late, the classes were already deep into the curriculum, and while I knew Nina would have no problem catching up, I felt doomed. 

I spent the majority of the evening in the living room, working on catching up with school work. Patricia sat on the couch across from me, grumbling about Joy not responding to her email. Mara sat next to her, and Jerome was in one of the chairs. 

“Hey, Newbie, what do _ you _ know about Joy’s disappearance?” Patricia pointed her question at me after she’d finished ranting.

“For the last time Patricia, neither my sister, nor I, know anything about what happened to Joy.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Well that sucks, ‘cause it’s the truth,” I said coldly.

“Patricia, I don’t think it’s fair to keep blaming this on Nina,” Mara started before turning to me. “We all know you had nothing to do with it, Nina.”

“Lizzie,” I corrected. “I’m Lizzie, not Nina.”

I could tell from the look on Mara’s face that she was mortified at her mistake.

“It’s fine,” I assured her.

“I am so, so, sorry,” she apologized profusely, bringing a grin to both Patricia and Jerome’s faces.

“Don’t worry, really, it happens all the time,” I replied half-heartedly before I gathered my things and left the room.

That night, an old woman that I didn’t recognize entered my dreams. She wore a pink hospital gown, and looked so frail I thought she might break. Next to her stood Victor, and he was glaring at me. The old woman was repeating the same phrase over and over again: beware the black bird. I was confused as to who she was, and what this all meant, when I was pulled out of the dream by Patricia’s voice. I woke to see her standing over my sister, wearing a black feather boa. She was saying “beware the black bird” in a mocking tone while sprinkling feathers from the boa onto my sisters face.

“What are you doing?” I asked her.

Before she could respond, Nina woke up, and presented Patricia with the same question I had just asked.

“Nothing,” she said innocently. “You woke me up. ‘Beware the black bird.’”

She let out a mocking laugh, and Nina and I looked to each other, thinking the same thing: we’d had the same dream. It had been happening off and on for years, but it hadn’t happened in a while, and I assumed we had grown out of the habit. I think we were both surprised to see otherwise.

“Aw, are you scared?” Patricia continued. “Are you going to sleep with the light on Newbie?”

“Just ignore her,” I said to Nina, before turning around and going back to sleep.


	2. House of Dares / House of Lies

When Nina and I sat down for breakfast the next morning, I could tell that Patricia had been making fun of Nina minutes beforehand. Nina and I weren’t very close, but Patricia was seriously starting to get on my nerves. Nina sat at the head of the table, directly across from Patricia, and I chose to sit next to Fabian, the nicest one of them. On the other side of me was Alfie, and across from me was Jerome, whose hair seemed like it had gotten taller since yesterday.  
“Sleep well Nina?” Patricia mocked, followed by bird sounds.  
“Ignore them,” Fabian said to Nina.  
“I am,” I heard her reply as I grabbed a piece of toast.  
“So what was this dream anyways?” He probed.  
“It was awful, and I know they’re making jokes but it felt so—” her voice trailed off.  
“Real?” I offered.  
Nina eyed me. “You had it to?”  
I nodded.  
“Wait, you two had the same dream?” Fabian asked us.  
“It’s happens sometimes,” Nina told him.   
“It’s a twin thing, I guess,” I said with a shrug before returning to my breakfast.  
“The dream though,” Nina returned to the original topic. “It felt evil.”  
A moment later, Amber came through the doorway.  
“Anyone seen Mara?” She asked. “She’s got my hair straightener.”  
“Yeah,” Fabian answered. “She’s with Mick in our room.”  
“What?!”   
“Uh-oh,” Jerome spoke up. “Green eyed monster alert.”  
“I'm not jealous,” Amber lied as she sat down across from Fabian. “Why would I be jealous? What's there to be jealous of?”  
“She’s just helping him with homework,” Fabian explained. “That’s all.”  
“Yeah, I know all about that, and it's cool. I would help him, but I'm just so busy.” Amber finished by flipping her hair over her shoulder. This lead to Jerome mockingly doing the same, which actually made me smile.   
“I see you haven’t sneaked out at the crack of dawn today,” Amber said to Nina.  
“Wow,” Nina exclaimed. “Everyone really does keep tabs on everyone else around here, don’t they?”  
“Fabian said you’d gone into school early, but then you didn’t turn up at first class.” Amber continued.  
“Nina was helping an old lady across the road, literally,” Trudy intervened. “We had a surprise visitor from the old people’s home.”   
Nina had told me all about Sarah last night when Patricia was out of the room. Including the necklace that Sarah had given her. I didn’t know what Sarah looked like, but I bet she was the old woman in the dream.  
“I’m not very good with old people,” Amber stated. “They’re all so old, aren’t they?”  
I raised my eyebrows at that.  
“Still, you must be used to it, you too Lizzie,” Amber said to us. “Trudy said your Gran brought you up?”  
“She did, yeah,” Nina replied.  
“What happened to your mum and dad?”  
“Oh, Amber, Queen of tact,” Jerome spoke up.  
“They died in a car accident,” I said, sparing Nina the trouble of saying it out loud.  
“Oh,” Amber replied. “That’s awful.”  
“It was a long time ago,” I replied. I turned back to my toast, ignoring the looks from everyone else at the table.  
“We’re really close with our Gran,” Nina spoke up.  
“So how come she's packed you off to a big bad boarding school miles away from home then?” Patricia interrupted. “Sounds to me like she wanted to get rid—”  
“Patricia, don’t be such a witch,” Fabian cut her off. “I know you’re upset about Joy, but there’s no need to be taking all of this out on Nina and Lizzie.”  
“Yeah, well, everyone else seems to have forgotten all about Joy, except me!” Patricia yelled, then stormed out of the room. An awkward silence followed her exit, eventually I got up and left, having lost my appetite.

* * *

During biology, I sat with Nina and Fabian at one of the lab tables. Fabian was helping us catch up on what we’d missed, though Nina didn’t need it. I, on the other hand, would definitely need a lot more help. I made a mental note to ask Mara if she could tutor me as well, since she was already tutoring Mick.   
After class, Patricia approached Nina and I, leading with an apology.  
“Hey, Nina, Lizzie,” she started. “I just wanted to say, you know, sorry about breakfast.”  
I rose my eyebrows, not entirely believing her.   
“That’s fine,” Nina said quickly. “A little teasing helps the tea and toast go down.”  
“Oh, and I think that it’s time we welcomed you two to the school properly,” Alfie and Jerome popped up on either side of her. “The traditional way.”  
“What are you going on about?” Fabian questioned from behind us.  
“Alfie, why don’t you tell Nina and Lizzie about the initiation ceremony,” Patricia ignored Fabian’s comment entirely.  
“The what?” Fabian continued.  
“Yeah, every new student at this school has to undergo, like,” Alfie paused. “An initiation ceremony.”  
“Since when?” Fabian demanded.  
“Since forever, Fabian,” Patricia said forcefully.   
“What are you—” he began before Nina cut him off.  
“It’s okay,” she said. “Sounds like fun. So, what do we have to do?”

* * *

The rest of classes went by the same as the day before, however now I was finally starting to understand at least some of what the teachers were talking about. In every class except for biology, that is. I had spent most of the evening in the living room, trying to work on the biology assignment that Mr. Sweet had given Nina and I an extension on. I asked Nina if she wanted to work together, but she informed me she had already finished it, of course. After another hour of relentless efforts to study, I finally decided to give it a rest and come back to it after dinner.   
“So,” Patricia began from the head of the table. “Nina and Lizzie’s initiation takes place tomorrow night, okay? At midnight.”   
“The witching hour,” Alfie added in a spooky voice from my right.  
“Alfie,” Fabian scolded on the other side of me. “Cut it out.”  
“Tell me, Fabian,” Jerome said from across the table. “Does it get boring, always being the one that’s like ‘cut it out,’ or ‘that’s not right,’ or ‘fun is bad?’”  
Alfie and I laughed alongside Jerome at his question. Fabian played into the laughter as well before replying, “No.”   
“You must be mad,” Jerome commented.  
“What do they have to do?” Amber asked from across from Fabian.  
“Go up to the spooky attic and bring two things back to prove they’ve been,” Alfie explained to us.  
“You’re going up into the attic?” Amber turned to Nina.  
“Sure,” Nina spoke confidently. “I mean it’s not like it’s-”  
“Totally haunted,” Amber cut in.  
“Really?” I asked, skeptically.  
“Yeah, she’s right,” Jerome answered. “By the ghosts of students who went up there, never to return.”   
He finished his sentence with a purposefully eerie tone, making a grand effort to freak Nina and I out. It wasn’t working on me, however I couldn’t say the same for Nina.   
“Getting cold feet?” Patricia mocked, noticing my sister’s worried look.  
“Not at all,” Nina collected herself. “Let’s start tonight, can’t wait.”  
Leave it to Nina to get overconfident in her own abilities and put us both on the chopping block.  
“Oh, we’ve got something else planned for you guys tonight,” Patricia revealed.  
“I can’t wait to hear this,” Fabian mumbled beside me.  
“The key,” Patricia explained. “You can’t go into the attic without the key. You have to steal it from Victor.”  
Nina and I shared a look, one that held an entire conversation with just a glance. Nina saw this as the only way to get Patricia off our backs, and she was willing to take the risk. I, however, saw the absolute stupidity in this entire initiation ceremony. I also knew that Nina needed this, in order to stand up to Patricia, so I was willing to go along with it. And that is how when then found ourselves outside of Victor’s office later that evening with Patricia, Alfie, and Jerome.  
“See the bunch of keys on the desk next to Victor?” Alfie pointed to the desk in Victor’s office.   
“Yeah,” Nina and I responded at the same time, earning a weird look from the three others.  
“Those are the master keys,” Alfie continued anyways. “He carries them with him everywhere he goes, so you’ll never get them.”  
“But,” Patricia interrupted. “There is a key box on the wall just beside him.”  
“Yeah,” Nina responded, both her and I eyeing it from the hallway.  
“He keeps a spare set of every key in there,” Jerome noted, pointing at the box.  
“What are you lot looking at?” Victor yelled from inside his office, finally noticing the five of us staring into his office. Alfie quickly ducked into the staircase, while the rest of us remained calm.  
“Sir, we were just—” Jerome’s voice trailed off.  
“Admiring your coat,” Nina finished for him.  
“Is it vintage?” I asked, playing into the bit.  
Victor was about to respond when he spied Alfie on the staircase.  
“Just as I thought,” Alfie lied. “The floor, it could, uh, u-use a polish.”  
“Hmmm,” Victor responded. “In that case, feel free to polish it Alfie.”  
Victor picked up Alfie from the ground by his arm and walked him down the stairs, Alfie protesting the whole way. Nina and I watched as Victor walked out of sight, and then looked at each other. I could tell from the look in Nina’s eyes that she had a plan, but I had no idea what it was. Nonetheless, I nodded, willing to follow her lead.  
In an instant, Nina dashed into Victor’s office and grabbed the set of master keys off of his desk. I quickly made my way to the front door of the office, keeping an eye on the hallway below for when Victor came back. I looked back at Nina, who had just opened the box, grabbing the key for the attic off the wall and slamming the box shut.   
I heard Amber’s voice from down below, yelling about Alfie, and saw that Alfie and Victor were nearly to the staircase. I turned back to Nina, who had also heard the commotion, and motioned for her to hurry up. Quickly, she ran out of Victor’s office, but with his set of master keys in hand. By the time she realized it, Nina had already run past me, so I was closer to Victor’s office than she was. She turned back to me, and I held up my hands. Swiftly, she tossed me the keys and I ran into the office, dropping the keys on the desk before quickly making my way back to the hallway. It was just in time too, because just as I arrived back at the group, Victor had reached the top of the staircase.   
“Why are you all still standing here?” His voice echoed through the room.  
We all quickly made our way back downstairs, waiting for Victor to return to his office before saying anything.  
“Lucky,” Alfie commented to us as Nina showed them the key.  
“Very lucky,” Jerome agreed.  
“Well, we’ll see how lucky you two are tomorrow night,” Patricia said. “When you go up into that attic.”

* * *

The next morning at breakfast, Patricia was eyeing Nina and I the whole time. I expected her to say something to try and scare us about the attic, but I had a hunch she was more distracted with Joy’s disappearance at the moment. However, that didn’t stop her from glaring at my sister the whole time. I didn’t really talk to anyone throughout breakfast, but afterwards while I was walking to the school I noticed Mara walking to class by herself and caught up with her.  
“Hey,” I said to her, nearly making her jump.  
“Oh,” she said, surprised. “Hey Lizzie, what’s up?”  
“I have a question for you.”   
“What is it?”   
“I was wondering if you’d be willing to tutor me in biology.”  
“Oh.”  
“I know that you’re already helping Mick, so I get it if you don’t have time,” I explained. “I was just hoping that you’d be able to help me with the biology assignment that was due a few days ago. Mr. Sweet gave Nina and I an extension on it, since we arrived late.”  
“Of course I’ll help you,” Mara said with a polite smile. “I also wanted to say sorry, again, about what happened the other night. I didn’t mean to offend you or anything, and I’m terribly sorry if I did.”  
“Really, Mara, it’s okay,” I assured her. “It happens a lot, you get used to it.”  
“Yes, but that doesn’t make it okay.”  
“Just because it’s not okay doesn’t mean it’s a big deal,” I gave her a pointed look. “Nina and I are twins, our Gran still mixes us up, and she raised us.”  
Mara laughed.  
“So, don’t worry about it.”  
“You’re sure?”  
“Positive.”  
Classes were getting easier that day. I sat with Mara in history and biology, and she helped with me catching up on class material. There was a new teacher here, Mr. Winkler, and he taught history as well as drama. He was very young, and had handsome brown hair. Every girl was practically fawning over him. During drama we started reading Romeo and Juliet, which I had actually already read, and hated. Amber and Alfie had to act out a scene from the play, but she went a bit off script, and ended up kissing Alfie. Though most of the class saw it to be funny, Mick seemed rather upset, which explained why he wasn’t at dinner.  
When it was time for the initiation ceremony, at midnight, Patricia, Alfie, and Jerome came into our room. They each held a flashlight under their faces, making them appear ghastly and ominous. It would’ve been creepier, had Alfie not been making a dramatically silly face. Nina and I were sitting on Nina’s bed, and when the three finally approached us, Patricia pointed her flashlight at our faces.   
“Are you Nina and Elizabeth Martin?” Patricia asked us in an official-sounding voice.  
“Yes,” we responded in unison.  
“Is there anyone here that can confirm that?”  
“Um, us?” Nina responded.  
“Are you for real?” Alfie interrupted, before being shushed harshly by Patricia.  
“Nina and Elizabeth Martin, you are here to prove you are brave enough to live at Anubis house,” Patricia continued. “Swear on the graves of all your ancestors that you will never tell a living soul about tonight.”  
“I swear,” Nina said immediately.   
When I didn’t respond they all turned to me, the lights blinding my eyes. Nina elbowed me hard in the arm, and I rolled my eyes.  
“I swear,” I sighed.  
Satisfied, Patricia lead the two of us outside the room and into the hallway, with Jerome and Alfie behind us. In front of the attic door was the rest of Anubis house, minus Mick. Fabian and Amber stood on the left of the door, while Mara was on the right, each with a flashlight under their chins.   
“Where’s Mick?” Amber asked Fabian, making him jump.  
“He didn’t want to come, tired or something,” Fabian replied before being shushed by Patricia.  
Patricia took a step forward and turned back to us before speaking again.  
“Oh spirits of Anubis house, guide the new girls on their initiation quest,” she pointed her flashlight at us. “And keep them from harm in the haunted attic.”  
“Oh come on, this is ridiculous,” Fabian protested, only to be shushed by Patricia once again.  
“Unlock the door,” Patricia commanded.  
I walked forward with the key, Nina following me.  
“We just have to go up there, and bring two things back?” Nina clarified while I unlocked the door. “You guys didn’t set any traps in there or anything, did you?”  
“Course not,” Patricia responded, but I didn’t trust anything she said. “Go.”  
I turned the key in the lock, and opened the door quietly. Behind the door was a staircase that went up and to the left, and there were no lights. Nina and I shared a glance, and I went in first, her following slowly behind. I was halfway up the staircase when Patricia closed the door behind us, and I heard the twist of the lock.  
“Hey!” I yelled as Nina and I made our way back down the stairs.  
“What’s going on?” Nina questioned.  
“Let us out!” I banged on the door.  
I heard Fabians muffled voice through the door, but couldn’t quite make out what he said.   
“Not until you tell us what you know about Joy’s disappearance,” Patricia yelled to us through the door.  
“We don’t know anything!” Nina yelled back.  
“Then you’ll have to stay in there until morning,” Patricia said.  
I heard another commotion from the other side of the door, this time with Mara’s voice as well. I tried the doorknob again, a small part of me hoping that it was old enough to break off and the door would open.  
“Last chance,” Patricia said to us. “What can you tell us about Joy?”  
“Nothing!” I yelled in frustration.  
“We don’t know anything!” Nina added.  
Nina and I kept banging at the door, but Nina stopped when she looked at something behind us.   
“There’s something up there,” Nina said to me. I followed her gaze, but didn’t see anything. Despite this, I saw the panic in Nina’s face, and knew we needed to get out of there quickly.  
“Let us out!” I demanded, but they never got the chance.  
“What’s all this noise? What’s going on here?” My blood ran cold as Victor’s voice echoed through the door.


	3. House of Locks / House of Eyes

Nina and I looked to each other, fear radiating between us. Victor was on the other side of the door, and in a matter of seconds, he was going to open the door and find us. I grabbed Nina’s hand before she could protest, and we ran up the stairs together. Nina and I split up once we entered the doorway but the attic was crowded, and in the small space we quickly ran into each other—literally. We collided and fell into the wall behind me. As soon as my back hit the wall, it rotated and left us on the other side, in a small darker room, hidden away from the rest of the attic.   
Nina and I stood quietly, listening to Victor walk around the small attic. I tilted my head to the wall, trying to listen for Victor’s footsteps when I made eye contact with a girl across the room. My heart jumped, but I took a breath when I realized it was just an old painting of a young girl. Regardless, I looked away from it, trying to ignore the chill that went through my body when I glanced at it. When I finally heard Victor’s footsteps indicate his exit, Nina and I both took a relieved breath. I put my hand to the wall, looking for an exit before realizing that we were trapped in this room.  
“We’re trapped,” Nina said to me.   
When I looked over at her, her necklace was glowing a bright red, as was a small indent on the wall.   
“Nina,” she looked at me when I spoke. “Your necklace, it’s glowing.”  
She looked down at her necklace, then her gaze shifted to the indent on the wall. She held her necklace to the indent and placed the locket inside, opening the stone door to the room they were in. Once we were out, I looked around for two things that we could bring back with us and spied a stack of books in the corner of the room. When I walked over and took two of them, I heard a shriek come from Nina.  
“You okay?” I asked her.  
“Yeah,” she panted. “I opened the room again, to see if I could, and when I did, the eyes on the painting were glowing red.”  
I paused. “It probably has something to do with the necklace.”  
“Probably,” Nina nodded. “Can we get out of here, this place is giving me the creeps.”  
“Agreed.”  
I grabbed two books off the stack before we rushed down the staircase and arrived back at the door to the attic. I tried the doorknob one more time, thinking maybe Victor had left it unlocked, but that wasn’t the case.  
“I have an idea,” Nina said to me, reaching into her hair and taking out one of her hairpins.   
“There’s no way that’ll—” I was cut off when Nina swung the door wide open, revealing a startled looking Amber and Fabian in the hallway. “Nevermind.”  
“Hi,” Nina said softly. “What’s the matter?”  
“You guys look like you’ve seen a ghost,” I commented as I came up beside Nina.  
“How did you—” Amber motioned towards the door.  
Nina held up the hairpin in her hand, and Amber chuckled excitedly.  
“Shh,” Fabian shushed her. “You’ll have Victor up again.”  
“Are you guys okay?” Fabian asked, the question more directed at Nina than I.  
“Yeah,” I replied, closing the door behind us.  
“What was it like up there?” Amber questioned. “See any ghosts?”  
“No,” Nina said sadly, “Just mice.”  
“And some spiders,” I joined. “Possibly a rat.”  
“Ugh!” Amber exclaimed. “You two are so brave.”  
We walked back to the room that Nina and I shared with Patricia, and said our goodbyes to Amber. I opened the door to our room quietly, still managing to scare Patricia considerably as I did so. Nina hadn’t followed me, but something told me she wanted some alone time with Fabian, so I let it slide.

* * *

The next morning, Nina and I walked into breakfast receiving applause.  
“We were certain Victor was going to get you guys,” Jerome said to us as we took our normal seats at the table.  
“Yeah, either Victor or the flesh-eating zombies,” Alfie added.  
“No zombies,” Nina said brightly. “Mostly rat bones.”   
“Cool,” Alfie said before taking his seat to my right.  
“Was it really scary up there?” Mara asked us as I put a muffin on my plate.  
“I thought it would be worse,” Nina replied. “It was actually kind of cool, I might move up there.”  
“What about you Lizzie?” Mara asked me directly.  
“Too many spiders for my liking,” I answered.  
“Don’t you think they were brave?” Amber spoke up.  
“Even you have to admit Patricia, Nina and Lizzie passed their initiation test with flying colors,” Fabian agreed.  
“No,” Patricia denied spitefully. “You didn’t bring anything back, did you?”  
“Well, actually,” I said, pulling the two books that I snagged from the attic out of my bag.  
“Yes!” Alfie praised, giving me a high five. Everyone except for Patricia looked happy for us, so much so that she even got up and left the room.  
“Patricia, wait,” Mara said, following Patricia out of the room.  
“Can I see those?” Fabian asked, referring to the books we took from the attic.  
“Of course,” I said, handing them over to him.  
The rest of the breakfast went by smoothly, and I actually had an appetite for the first time since we’d arrived. After breakfast, I was walking to school alone, enjoying the quiet time, when Alfie caught up to me. He appeared at me side, out of breath.  
“Alfie!” I heard Jerome call from behind me, but before I could react, Alfie was already talking.  
“So, no zombies?”  
I let out a laugh. “No zombies.”  
“Are you sure?”  
“Positive.”  
“I told you, Alfie,” Jerome said as he came up on the other side of Alfie. “There aren’t any zombies.”  
“You don’t know that,” Alfie defended himself, before turning back to me. “Come on Lizzie, be honest, you had to see something up there.”  
“Sorry to disappoint Alfie, but no zombies, and certainly nothing else.”  
Alfie sighed. “Can you tell me about the rat bones at least?”  
“That’s disgusting Alfie,” I laughed at him.  
“Please,” he begged me.  
“Go up and look for yourself,” I challenged him.  
Jerome laughed loudly. “Alfie, go up into the attic? Don’t be ridiculous.”   
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Alfie turned to Jerome.  
“You wouldn’t last five minutes up in that attic,” Jerome said plainly.  
“I would too,” Alfie argued.  
This was not going anywhere good, so I tried to escape while I could. However, just as I was walking away, Jerome cut his bickering with Alfie short.  
“Wait,” Jerome called. “We want your opinion on something.”  
“We do?” Alfie asked.  
“We do,” Jerome confirmed.  
“And that is?” I asked as we entered the school.  
“I’ve been thinking,” Jerome started. “Alfie should do something for Amber, something romantic. She made the first move with that kiss, now he needs to follow it up with a few moves of his own.”  
“Right!” Alfie agreed enthusiastically.  
“So I have a few ideas,” Jerome continued. “And you’re a girl.”  
“Oh, I am?” I said sarcastically.  
“No,” Alfie said with a laugh. “You’re an alien.”  
I laughed. “Of course, how could you have forgotten Jerome?”   
Jerome gave me a pointed look.  
“Guess I can’t help you out then, you’ll just have to trust your own judgment on this one,” I said before heading to class, leaving them to discuss their plan to get Amber and Alfie together. As I thought about it, the idea of Amber and Alfie didn’t exactly seem like something that would last, but then again, I hardly knew them.  
Later that evening, Nina and I were in our room trying to catch up on homework. Mara had helped me a little bit with the biology assignment, and I was going to have her look over it once more before I turned it in. We were working silently when Nina looked up at me and got my attention.  
“What’s up?” I asked her.  
“I think,” she said slowly. “That I’m going to go back into the attic.”  
“Are you crazy?” I replied quickly. “How are you going to get back in without the key?”   
Nina held up the key in her hands.   
“Where’d you find it?”  
“Fabian and I found it outside in the bushes.”  
“Oh?” I rose my eyebrows. “Fabian helped you find it?”  
“Yeah,” she said with a smile. “And he’s coming with me into the attic as well.”  
“No offense, but that’s a really bad location for a first date.”  
“It’s not like that,” she denied, but the color of her cheeks told me otherwise.  
“If you say so,” I let the topic drop.  
“Anyways,” she continued. “I wanted to know if you would come with us?”  
“Back into the attic?”   
“Yeah,” Nina said. “I want you to be there.”  
“On your first date with Fabian?”  
“It’s not a date,” Nina protested. “I was going to go up anyway, and he insisted on tagging along.”  
“Interesting,” I hummed. “Okay, I’ll join you.”  
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Nina sighed with relief.  
After lights out, Nina and I waited until we were sure Patricia was asleep to put on our shoes. A soft knock came from our door, and Nina opened it quietly. Fabian greeted us in a hushed tone as we slipped out of the room. Just as I shut the door behind me, Amber came out of her room, wearing the dress Nina and I helped her pick out earlier this evening.  
“Are you on a date as well?” Amber asked Nina and Fabian, not noticing me. She was on her way to meet Mick for their date in the laundry room—she had told Nina and me earlier. That is if Mick is the one who left the message to meet her.  
Nina and Fabian both protested awkwardly in response to Amber’s question.  
“Oh,” Amber said when she noticed me. “It’s a bit weird to bring your sister on your first date, Nina.”  
“That’s what I said,” I agreed.  
“It’s not a date,” Nina argued.  
“Whatever,” Amber said cooly. “Catch you later.”  
We waved goodbye as Amber flounced away to her date. Once she was gone, Nina made her way forward to the door of the attic with the key in hand. Fabian and I kept watch for Victor, or anyone else, in case we were to get caught. Eventually, Nina got the door open, and Fabian gulped as we walked up the stairs into the attic. I was able to get a better look around the attic when we arrived at the top of the stairs this time, seeing as we weren’t running from Victor.  
“You ready?” Nina asked Fabian as we walked over to the secret room.  
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Fabian responded, trying to act strong. “Do you need the torch?”  
“I don’t think setting fire to this place will help us now,” Nina laughed.  
I rolled my eyes at my twin. “He means the flashlight, Nina.”  
“Oh,” she replied awkwardly. “Well, the answers still a no.”  
Fabian and I laughed collectively. Nina reached the wall where the entrance was, and when she placed her necklace in the indent, it started to glow again. The stone wall moved to the left, revealing the painting that I’d seen last night. Fabian yelped when he saw the painting, dropping the flashlight on my foot.  
“Ow,” I grumbled and picked up the flashlight from the ground.  
“It’s just a painting,” Nina said to Fabian, ignoring me completely. She walked into the room and took it off the wall, bringing it back to Fabian and I. “It’s just a portrait.”  
“That was seriously scary,” Fabian breathed. “The eyes were glowing and looking at me and—”   
“Don’t worry,” I said. “We won’t tell anyone that a painting of a little girl made you so scared you screamed.”  
Nina laughed at what I said while Fabian just gave me a dirty look before we all turned our attention back to the painting.  
“I know her,” Nina said, referring to the portrait. She motioned for us to also study the painting, and then passed it off for me to hold.   
She pulled out the locket from in her shirt and opened it, “It’s the same girl.”  
“Who is she?” I asked, trying not to look directly into the eyes of the portrait.  
“I don’t know,” Nina admitted.  
“Maybe there’s a name on the back,” I offered, turning the painting over.  
“No name,” Nina said. “But what are these?”  
She pointed to the bottom left of the frame, where there were three different shapes in a vertical oval. The shape at the bottom was made up of eight lines, two rows of four lines to be exact and the one above it looked like a staircase. The one at the very top was what looked like a headboard, with a semicircle on top of a rectangle and two lines on either side.  
“It looks like Egyptian hieroglyphics,” Fabian said.  
“What do they mean?” I asked.  
“I’m not sure,” Fabian answered as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and snapped a picture of the hieroglyphics.  
“You know,” Nina started. “The old lady said there was treasure hidden in this house.”  
“What kind of treasure?” Fabian asked.  
“Well, she hardly knows her own name,” Nina explained. “So she wasn’t that specific.”  
“Maybe we should go talk to her?” I offered, and Nina nodded at me in response.  
“We should get back to bed,” Nina said after studying the portrait a moment longer. “Before Patricia realizes we’re gone.”  
“Agreed.”


	4. House of Agendas / House of Keys

The day after we snuck into the attic, Victor conducted a bag search in our house after classes. Patricia was the only one of us who seemed nervous about the bag search, and I wondered what she was hiding. The rest of us were okay with it, for the most part. I was only a bit stressed out that I couldn’t work on my homework, because that biology assignment was due tomorrow and Mara still needed to look over it.

I left our bedroom to go get a snack from the kitchen, as I had skipped lunch in order to sit with Nina and research hieroglyphs. While I was in the kitchen, I spied Jerome and Mick talking, and was curious as to why. They weren’t exactly friends, and considering the conflict brewing between Alfie and Mick, I figured Mick would be avoiding Jerome as well. I grabbed a banana and made my way to the living room, taking a seat on the couch across from Mick and Jerome. The moment I sat down, Amber Millington stormed in angrily, giving Mick a pointed look.

“I’m waiting for an apology, Mick,” she said to him, crossing her arms.

“Well you’ll be waiting a long time then,” Mick said harshly before he walked past her and out of the room.

“Wait a minute,” Amber called after him. “I’m the mad one!” 

Amber walked over and sat down next to me on the couch.

“He’s the one who stood me up!” She exclaimed.

“That’s a dick move,” I agreed with her. “And after we spent so long deciding on that dress for you.”

“I know!” Amber cried.

I took another bite from my banana while Patricia and Mara entered the room.

“What are you grinning at?” Patricia asked Jerome, who was smiling happily to himself on the couch across from Amber and me.

“Just happy to be alive,” Jerome explained and I gave him a quizzical look.

Patricia rolled her eyes at him and took a seat in one of the chairs, Mara taking the other chair.

“Any sign of Victor with our bags?” Patricia asked.

“Nope,” Jerome answered. “It’s great, isn’t it? The perfect excuse not to do french homework.”

Just as Jerome finished his sentence, Victor walked into the living room, carrying our bags in his arms.

“Here we are,” Victor said as passed out the bags. “All checked.”

I took my bag gratefully and quickly pulled out my laptop to continue working on the biology assignment. I was only half-listening to the rest of the conversation that took place, but I gathered it was centered around Patricia’s conspiracy about Joy and her disappearance.

After finally finishing my biology assignment, and having Mara look over it, I was exhausted. I hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before because of our journey to the attic, and I needed some time to rest. While I was on my way upstairs, Jerome stopped me in the hallway.

“Lizzie Martin,” Jerome addressed me.

“That is indeed my name,” I responded. “What’s up?”

“I have a question for you,” he answered.

“Which is?” I asked when he didn’t continue.

“You know that ancient history project we were assigned?”

“Yes.”

“I was wondering if you’d like to be partners for it,” Jerome proposed. “I’m very good at history.”

I don’t know how much I believed that last part. I thought for a moment, thinking of whether or not I actually trusted to do this project with Jerome or not.

“Sure,” I decided eventually.

He smiled. “Great, so we’ll start working on it tomorrow?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

* * *

The next morning in history, Amber and I sat next to each other. She asked me to be her partner for the project, but I had already said yes to Jerome. In all honesty, I felt more comfortable with Amber being my partner than Jerome, but that wasn’t going to change the fact that we were already partners.

“So,” Mr. Winkler started. “Have you guys given any more thought to your ancient history projects? Mick?”

“Yeah,” Mick answered. “History of the Roman Gladiatorial Games.”

“Excellent.” 

“With a practical demonstration of me as a gladiator, humiliating and destroying Alfie in a very public arena.” Mick continued with anger in his voice.

“Right,” Mr. Winkler replied before continuing to the next student. “Fabian any more thoughts on your project?”

“Yeah,” Fabian said excitedly. “Nina and I thought we might do something on Egyptian mythology.”

“Yeah, especially with Anubis house being named after an Egyptian god,” Nina added.

“Nice one, nice one,” Mr. Winkler nodded. “You know, I'm a particular fan of Egyptian mythology. All that interest in life after death and living forever.”

“Ew. Who’d want to live forever? Imagine how wrinkled you’d get,” Amber blurted from beside me, causing some laughter throughout the class. Aside from Mick that is, who merely scoffed at her comment.

“Right,” Mr. Winkler stated, turning around to write on the board. 

The bell rang through the room, indicating that it was the end of class. I promised Nina that I’d join her and Fabian when they went to visit Sarah today, so I tried to get out of class as quickly as possible. On my way out the door, Jerome stepped in front of me, nearly causing me to crash into him.

“Sorry,” I mumbled towards him.

“No worries, I wanted to catch you anyways,” Jerome said.

“Oh?”

“What are your plans for lunch?” He asked, causing me to raise my eyebrows. “I figured we could meet and talk about what to do for our project.”

“Oh,” I said with relief. “I actually have plans with my sister for lunch, but I can meet later tonight if that’s okay.”

“Yeah, of course,” Jerome said softly. “See you then.”

“See you.”

Jerome brushed past me swiftly, and I pretended not to notice as his hand grazed my arm on accident. Before I could reflect, I caught Nina’s gaze across the hallway where she stood with Fabian, and I made my way over. 

“Let’s hurry,” Nina said. “We don’t have much time.”

Fabian and I nodded, and we snuck out of the school quietly. We, technically, weren’t allowed to be visiting Sarah at the nursing home during our class hours, but none of us minded. It was a quick walk to the nursing home, as it was only across the street from Anubis house, and when we were inside the lady behind the front desk recognized Nina immediately. She led us to Sarah’s room—though I found it odd when Nina asked to see Emily, not Sarah—and Nina knocked quietly. When she opened the door, I could see Sarah laying on the bed, and she looked exactly like the woman from the dream.

“Hello,” Nina poked her head inside. “Can I come in?”

“Oh,” Sarah exclaimed excitedly. “It’s you!”

Nina grabbed my hand, pulling me behind her as we entered Sarah’s room, leaving Fabian at the door. Sarah quickly noticed me, and the excitement on her face drifted into confusion.

“There’s two of you?” She asked.

“Yes,” Nina said softly. “This is my sister Elizabeth.”

“Elizabeth,” Sarah eyed me, sending a chill down my spine. “Of course. Have you found it yet?” She directed her question to Nina.

“Found what?”

“The treasure.”

“No,” Nina explained. “We came to ask you where it is.”

“You too?” Sarah turned to me, and I nodded.

“She’s been helping me look for the treasure.”

“You won’t let him find it will you?” The tone in Sarah’s voice shifted from friendly to urgent. “Promise you won’t let him find it.”

“I promise,” Nina said quickly, then giving me a look.

“I promise,” I repeated, calming Sarah’s nerves.

“Sarah,” Nina started, taking her locket out and sitting beside Sarah’s bed. “Who is this?” 

Nina opened the locket and handed it to Sarah.

“Is it you?” Sarah asked, making Nina chuckle. 

“No, it’s not me,” Nina confirmed.

“Is it you, Elizabeth?” Sarah asked me.

I smiled. “It’s definitely not me, she’s way too pretty to be me.”

“It looks like you two,” Sarah commented, before looking up from the locket. She spotted something behind me, and fear grew quickly on her face.

“Who’s that?” She asked, referring to Fabian—still standing in the doorway.

“That’s Fabian,” Nina explained. “Sarah, meet Fabian.”

“You mustn’t let him see it,” she said to Nina, forcefully handing the locket back to Nina. “Quickly, hide it.”

“Okay,” Nina obliged, but Sarah was too preoccupied with watching Fabian in a panic. “It’s gone, see? It’s alright Sarah.”

Sarah’s gaze drifted from Fabian, back to me, and the finally landed on Nina.

“Everything’s going to be alright,” Nina said.

“Good,” Sarah breathed, calm. “The black bird is watching the house, you have to be careful.”

My eyebrows dipped in confusion, thinking back to the dream once more. Nina looked back at me, indicating that it was probably time for us to leave.

* * *

The next morning, Nina woke me up early to go over the hieroglyphs on the back of the painting. I was already running short on sleep, and this hieroglyph nonsense only annoyed me. Jerome and I stayed up late last night trying to work on our ancient history project, and we spent most of the time disagreeing about what we wanted to do. Every time I brought up an idea he would claim it was ‘stupid,’ or ‘boring.’ And every idea he brought up wasn’t specific enough to do a detailed project on. Eventually, we landed on a topic, but by that point in the evening, it was later than either of us expected.

“Are these the same symbols from the painting?” Nina asked me, shoving a dusty book in my face and pulling me back to the present.

I squinted at the page. “I’m not sure, I didn’t get a good look at the hieroglyphs.”

Nina sighed, bringing the book back to her lap.

“Fabian has a picture of the hieroglyphs,” I reminded her.

“That’s right!” She exclaimed with a smile, before quickly getting dressed and going downstairs.

When I joined her downstairs for breakfast, I was met with Mick angrily walking out of the kitchen, holding the entire bowl of fruit. I snagged an apple when he wasn’t paying attention and made my way inside. I took the seat across from Fabian this time, since breakfast seemed to be a bit empty, and by the time I’d sat down, Nina had already matched the hieroglyphs.

“So, what if the treasure is buried underneath the eighth stair?” Nina proposed to us, referring to the image on Fabian’s phone.

“Do you think?” Fabian asked.

“I don’t know,” Nina admitted. “Maybe I’ve seen too many _ Indiana Jones _ movies.”

“I mean it seems as good a plan as any,” I commented. “It’s worth checking out.”

Nina nodded at me, before eyeing someone behind me. 

“Amber told us what Mick did,” she said, referring to Mick breaking Alfie’s ankle. “I think it’s pretty terrible.”

“After what Alfie and Amber did I’m surprised Mick didn’t do more damage,” Fabian commented.

“What did they do?” I asked.

“They went on a date,” Fabian said simply.

“What?” Nina asked. “How is that possible?”

“Are we talking about the same Alfie?” I asked.

“It was the night we went up to the attic,” Fabian explained. “Remember we bumped into her in the corridor and she was all dressed up.”

“Yeah, for her date with Alfie,” I mentioned.

“Not Mick,” Nina added.

“What?” Fabian asked.

“Yeah,” I continued. “She got a message from Mick arranging to meet in the laundry room.”

“Or, at least she thought it was from Mick,” Nina said. “But he never showed.”

“She had us look at at least forty outfits beforehand,” I noted.

“Really?” Fabian asked, gazing towards Alfie on the couch.

“She’s not exaggerating,” Nina backed me up. “Forty outfits.”

Fabian laughed, and I saw him glance at Jerome from across the room. I didn’t think anything of it during breakfast but when I saw them arguing in the hallway at school. I was at my locker, a few down from Jerome’s, but I still managed to catch the end of their conversation.

“Sometimes you have to give fate a helping hand,” I heard Jerome say.

“Well, you have to tell Mick the truth,” Fabian urged.

I looked to my left and eyed them curiously. From what I gathered at Anubis House, Jerome and Fabian weren’t exactly friends. To think of it, they weren’t even friend_ ly _. I didn’t know what they were talking about, but I could see the situation quickly turned tense. Jerome’s gaze caught mine, and he quickly lost his playful facade.

“I don’t have to do anything,” Jerome said to Fabian before pushing past him.

I took that as my cue and made my way to class, narrowly avoiding Jerome as I did so. The rest of the day when by smoothly, and before I knew it, I found myself at the dinner table with Fabian and Nina. 

“So,” Nina whispered to us. “Are we still on for tonight? I brought my bike tools in?”

“You have a bike?” I asked her.

“Okay, I took them from the laundry room,” Nina admitted.

“Sounds more like it,” Fabian laughed. “But what do we need tools for?”

“For prying up floorboards,” Nina explained. “What else?”

Before either Fabian or I could respond, Patricia caught all our attention from where she sat in the living room.

“Yes!” She said excitedly. “I’ve got an email from Joy!”

“Really?” Mara asked, and Patricia nodded.

“That’s great,” Fabian walked over to see the email.

I saw Nina frown at Fabian as he walked over, and I shot her a comforting smile. Patricia went on to read the email out loud, and the other members of Anubis House crowded around her computer to read along. 

“There’s no smiley face at the end,” Patricia noted when she was finished. “Joy always puts a smiley face. And there’s no text-speak, it’s written out all properly.”

“Hooray,” Jerome said. “Joy’s learned to spell at last.”

Jerome and Alfie laughed loudly and made their way to the table with Fabian for dinner, while Mara stayed at the couch with Patricia.

“Sometimes I use text-speak in emails and sometimes I don’t,” Mara comforted.

“Yeah,” Patricia considered for a moment. “You’re right. Sorry, I bet I’ve been driving you all crazy.”

“No!” Mara protested, at the same time Alfie said, “Yes.”

Patricia shifted her gaze and turned to Nina and then to me, “Especially you two, Nina and Lizzie.”

I resisted rolling my eyes at Patricia and instead gave her a polite smile.

“Nothing a few years of counseling won’t fix,” Nina joked.

“I guess I might’ve taken things a little too far,” Patricia admitted.

“It’s really okay Patricia,” Nina said. “You were just worried about Joy.”

“I’m glad she’s safe,” I spoke up. 

Patricia and I exchanged smiles, and then she joined us at the table for dinner.

“Hey guys, guess what?” Amber walked into the dining room, Mick in hand. “Mick and I have made up. And we’re having a party to celebrate!” 

I heard Alfie groan from beside me before Amber continued.

“It’s tomorrow night, and you’re all invited!” 

“Great!” Alfie said sarcastically.

“If it’s any consolation,” I turned to Alfie. “I was rooting for you.”

“Thank you, Lizzie,” Alfie said honestly. “You seem to be the only one.”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” I said to him.

He only shrugged and turned back to his food.

* * *

Nina and I spent the rest of the evening trying to distract ourselves from our plan. We were both very nervous about sneaking out again, especially past Victor’s office in the middle of the night. I decided it was better for us not to think about it, and not worry about something we haven’t done yet. So, I spent most of the evening annoying Nina with math and biology questions until I didn’t have any left. I nearly fell asleep three times while we were waiting for midnight to strike, and Nina had to keep waking me up. If sneaking out in the middle of the night was going to become a regular thing, I was going to seriously have to rearrange my sleep schedule.

At midnight, Nina and I carefully opened the door so we didn’t wake Patricia and made our way down the hallway. When we got to Victor’s office, I held my breath as we crawled under the window and down the staircase. I heard Nina counting under her breath for the eight-step, and before I could shush her we arrived at the correct step. Nina went down two more steps to get a better angle at the stair, while I stayed above and kept a look-out for Victor. Fabian joined us a moment later from his room on the first floor, and he came up next to Nina on the staircase. Nina and Fabian lifted the floorboard and looked inside.

“There’s nothing here,” Nina whispered.

“Are you sure?” I asked her, holding the board in place so she could get a better look.

“No, wait,” Fabian answered for her. He reached his hand inside the stair, and when he pulled it back out he was holding a small key.

“Yes!” Nina said loudly, and I shushed her.

“What’s it for?” I asked her quietly.

Nina shrugged, studying the key. “I guess we’ll find out.”


	5. House of Discovery / House of Hyper

The next morning at breakfast, Nina, Fabian and I were sat next to each other, the signs of fatigue evident on our faces. After getting the key from the stairs, Nina and I stayed up to try and see if there was anything in the locket or a few books that might help us determine what this key unlocks. Nina wanted to go back up into the attic, but after some convincing, I talked her out of it. Despite this, we were still tired at breakfast, so much so that I almost fell asleep in my chair, but Fabian elbowed me before my face fell into my plate full of eggs.

“Thanks,” I muttered to Fabian with a yawn.

“More eggs anyone?” Trudy came in from the kitchen with a pan in hand.

I shook my head politely when she looked at me and returned my focus to stay awake.

“Did you hear about Victor?” Patricia asked the table. “He fell down the stairs last night and broke his leg.”

Nina and I looked at each other, both thinking the same thing. We had been careful not to make any noise last night when we were by the stairs, but I wasn’t sure if we’d put the floorboard completely back in place. A small feeling of guilt began bubbling in my chest, and I could tell that Nina was feeling even more guilty than I was.

“Don’t exaggerate, Patricia,” Trudy said.

“Eggs-aggerate,” Alfie laughed loudly. “Nice one Trudes.”

“Terrible _ yolk _ Alfie,” Jerome added, causing an eruption of laughs at the table.

“It’s a sprained ankle that’s all,” Trudy clarified.

“A very painful sprained ankle,” Victor’s voice carried with him from the hallway as he entered through the doorway.

“Victor! How do you do that?” Trudy asked with a start. “And with a limp too!” 

A few of us chuckled at her comment.

“Someone sabotaged the floorboard on purpose,” Victor claimed, and I gave Nina a look that told her to keep her mouth shut.

“Oh no,” Trudy disagreed. “That floorboard’s been like that for ages, I remember telling you about it last year.”

“Yeah, that’s right,” Fabian said from beside me. “I’ve tripped over it myself a few times.”

“Someone is up to something,” Victor ignored Trudy and Fabian. “And I intend to find out what it is, and who.”

Nina looked from me to Fabian with a gulp. The last thing we needed was to get in trouble with him, especially since we were just in the clear from Patricia’s wrath. On our walk to school, Nina and I argued back and forth on whether or not we should go back into the attic. 

“We shouldn’t go back into the attic when Victor’s already suspicious,” I explained to Nina.

“I know, but we might not get another chance,” Nina countered. “Besides, if we play our cards right, he’ll never know it’s us.”

“If that’s actually going to work, you need to stop looking so guilty every time Victor comes in the room,” I pointed out. “You’re lucky he couldn’t see your face at breakfast, or else he would already know you were involved.”

“I didn’t look that guilty,” Nina defended half-heartedly. “Did I?”

“Very,” I answered, and Nina huffed at me.

When we arrived at the school, Fabian came up to us in the hallway almost immediately.

“Victor is onto us,” he started. “And I don’t think we should go up to the attic again for a while.”

“I completely agree,” I said. “It’s not worth the risk.”

“We have to,” Nina argued. “The key unlocks something.”

“And we don’t know what that is,” I reminded her.

“But I want to know,” she replied. “So we’re going back into the attic.”

“You know,” Fabian spoke up. “For someone so sweet and polite, you’re quite the risk taker.”

I nearly gagged at Fabian’s comment, but surprisingly kept my composure.

“Victor knows the key is missing,” Nina added.

“How do you know?” I asked.

“I heard him and Trudy talking about it last night, so we don’t have much time to use it,” she explained.

“So, that means we go upstairs tonight then?” I asked, finally on board.

“Sooner better than later,” Fabian agreed.

Surprisingly, I had forgotten about Mick and Amber’s “Getting Back Together” party that evening until Nina reminded me about it while I was doing homework. She was currently sitting at her desk and doing some light makeup. She decided to wear a pale pink top that was tucked into a blue skirt. I had a hunch that she was dressing up to look good for Fabian, but I didn’t want to ask and embarrass her. 

“Are you going to go in that?” Nina asked, referring to my simple jeans and a striped t-shirt.

“Probably.”

“Well,” Nina started. “I think you should dress up.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” Nina turned to me. “You’re always doing schoolwork, take this as an opportunity to relax and socialize. Who knows, maybe you’ll even find a boy?”

“Oh, really?” I asked her. “Like how you’ve found Fabian?”

A blush crept up her cheeks, “That’s not what I meant.”

“So you do like him?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Right,” I rolled my eyes and turned back to my homework.

“At least put on a different outfit,” she said eventually. “Amber would be offended if you didn’t.”

I laughed and ultimately decided that she was right. I looked through my closet, trying to find something appropriate when I came across a black skirt that looked nice. I paired it with a dark red bodysuit and a grey cardigan. Once Nina saw that I was dressed up, she immediately ran over with a mascara wand in hand. Much to my dismay, she did some light makeup on my face. However, before she could go near me with any sort of lipgloss, I put on a nude lipstick instead.

I eventually joined Nina downstairs at the party and stood awkwardly near the food table. I didn’t recognize the other students here, other than the ones who were already in Anubis house. I spied Alfie and Jerome across the room and noticed Alfie’s outfit. He was wearing a Dracula costume, complete with a cape and a mouth full of fake vampire teeth. I chuckled to myself as I watched Alfie try and flirt with a girl, only for her to slap him, causing his fake teeth to fly out and land on Patricia. I almost made my way over to Alfie to console him when Jerome beat me to it. Though, Jerome seemed to be laughing more than anything else. Alfie spotted me from where he stood in the living room and made his way over to me.

“I want your opinion on something,” Alfie started. 

“Okay,” I said, confused.

“If I went up to you in a vampire costume and asked ‘do you fancy a bite?’ how would you respond?”

I smiled. “To be honest, I would probably laugh.”

“But you wouldn’t slap me in the face?”

“Definitely not.”

“Then why’d she slap me?” He asked, referring to the girl from earlier.

“Because it was too much,” Jerome said as he came into the conversation. “No girl would even think that’s funny.”

“Well, Lizzie said she thought it was funny,” Alfie defended.

“Really?” Jerome asked in disbelief.

“I said I would probably laugh,” I clarified. “That doesn’t mean I thought it was funny.”

“What?” Jerome and Alfie asked in unison.

“I would’ve thought it was cute, but not funny,” I continued, receiving a weird look from Jerome.

“Cute isn’t what I was going for,” Alfie said.

I shrugged at him,

“Don’t listen to her,” Jerome started. “She’s an American alien, they’re wired completely different.”

“Right,” I said, letting my voice trail off at the end.

“I know how you can really step up your game,” Jerome ignored my comment.

“Maybe not wearing a vampire costume to a party?” I offered.

Alfie looked at me, at his costume, then back at me.

“But it’s unique and memorable,” he defended.

“Memorable for the wrong reasons, Alfie,” I explained.

He sighed but then left the room to, hopefully, change out of his vampire cape.

“I think the vampire costume was working for him,” Jerome disagreed with him.

“It wasn’t.”

“You thought it was cute.”

“Cute doesn’t mean I would want to date him.”

“So you don’t want to date him?”

“No,” I laughed, “Besides, isn’t he pining after Amber?”

Jerome scoffed. “You see how well that’s going.”

“Fair enough,” I agreed. “But I don’t think Amber and Mick will last much longer.”

“Oh? And why do you think that?”

“They don’t seem to have much in common,” I noted, and my gaze drifted to the kitchen, where Mick and Mara were in deep conversation. “And I have a sneaking suspicion that Mara may have a small crush on Mick.”

“You haven’t even been here a week and you’ve picked up on all that?”

I shrugged. “It’s not like anyone was trying to be subtle.”

“So are you gonna tell Amber?” Jerome asked. “About Mara’s crush on Mick?”

“I haven’t decided,” I said honestly. “It’s not really my place.”

“If it were you, would you want to know?”

I considered this for a moment. “No, actually.”

Jerome studied me for a moment, but before our conversation could continue, Nina arrived beside me.

“Hey,” I greeted her. “Did you see Alfie’s outfit?”

“No, what did I miss?”

“It was quite a win with the ladies,” Jerome included.

“It was a vampire costume,” I explained to Nina.

“Oh, that’s,” she paused. “Unique.”

I laughed beside her.

“Anyways,” Nina gave Jerome a wary look before she continued. “We should go.”

I gave her a puzzled look before she took my hand and lead me out of the dining room to the hallway, where Fabian was waiting.

“We’re going up there now?” I asked, catching on to Nina’s actions.

“The party’s the perfect distraction,” Nina explained. “Victor won’t be prowling.”

“So, let’s go,” Fabian said. “Before the party’s over.”

I sighed, but ultimately nodded my head, and the three of us made our way to the attic. When we made it up there, we each split up into different areas to look for things the key might open. I found a few smaller boxes, but the key was too big for them to open. I was making my way through another box when Nina called to us from the secret room in the attic.

“What about this?” She says as she walks towards us, carrying a wooden box in her hands.

“That looks like it might work,” I say as I hand Nina the key.

Nina inserts the key and easily opens the box, revealing a series of cylinders as well as what appeared to be an ancient hexagonal Rubik’s cube. 

“What are these?” I said, referring to the cylinders.

“I have no idea,” Fabian answered.

“What about this?” Nina asked, picking up the ancient Rubik’s cube. “It’s really old.”

“Hey,” Fabian said enthusiastically. “My uncle is an antique dealer. I bet if we took this stuff to him, he’d be able to figure out what it is.”

“Is that a good idea?” I asked.

“Sarah was really secretive,” Nina noted. “I’m not sure if it’s the best idea.”

A loud bang came from downstairs, and I jumped from the sudden noise.

“What was that?” Nina asked.

“I think it was just a door slamming downstairs,” Fabian explained.

“It might’ve been Victor,” I realized.

“We should go back then, just in case he comes up here,” Fabian said.

Nina and I nodded, and we made our way out of the attic cautiously. I closed the door behind us quietly, locking it, before putting the key in the pocket of my cardigan.

“Meet you at the party?” Fabian said it more to Nina than me.

“Yeah,” Nina confirmed before heading back into our room to hide the artifacts.

I walked down to the party with Fabian, and we awkwardly stood next to the food table once more. I looked at the rest of the people at the party who were all dancing and having fun, and an idea came to my mind.

“You should ask Nina to dance,” I said to Fabian, taking him by surprise.

“I mean, I’m not really a good dancer,” Fabian mumbled.

“Neither is Nina,” I explained.

“Do you think she’d say yes?”

“I’m almost positive she’d say yes.”

Fabian nodded, and I could see him grow nervous. I wanted to tell him that it was no big deal, but just as I was about to say something, Nina came up to us.

“Did you hide them?” I asked her.

“Yup,” she confirmed. “All hidden.”

“Perfect,” I said, and then gave a knowing look to Fabian before I left them alone. I watched their conversation from the living room until I got distracted by Alfie. He had taken a deer head from Victor’s wall and was now running around the room with it on his head. 

“Guess what I am?” Alfie asked underneath the deer’s head. “A party animal!” 

“You’re so dumb Alfie,” Mara commented as Alfie continued to run around the room. She looked like she was in a bad mood, and I almost wanted to ask her why, but Victor came in before I got the chance. I’d never seen him look this angry before.

“Turn that racket off!” He commanded.

Fabian reached over and turned the music off quickly. 

“Anyone who doesn’t live here, out! The party is over!” Victor continued, then spotting Alfie in the deer’s head. “And how dare you mess about with that? Take it off your head immediately.”

Alfie tried his best to take the deer head off, but it wouldn’t budge from his head.

“Did you hear what I said?” Victor yelled again, and a pang of sympathy for Alfie ran through me.

“I can’t, it’s stuck,” Alfie explained, causing us to laugh lightly.

“Stop laughing! I have had enough of you vermin,” we went quiet as Victor continued to yell. “Who has the spare key to the attic? I know somebody’s been up there, tonight, in fact.”

Nina and I made eye contact, and I thought back to our conversation about her guilty face. Thankfully, Victor was in front of Nina, and couldn’t see her face, but I gave her a stern look to try and remind her to keep her cool.

“You all think you’re so clever,” Victor’s voice became more controlled. “But not as clever as me, who has it?”

“It’s getting really hot in here,” Alfie spoke up. “I can’t breathe.”

“Well, then we shall just have to saw it off shan’t we?” Victor turned to Alfie. Victor wrapped the handle of his cane around Alfie’s neck and began dragging him out of the room.

“The rest of you, wait there!” Victor yelled from the hallway.

Once Victor had definitely gone upstairs, I walked over to Nina on the other side of the room.

“Give me the key,” she said to me.

“Are you crazy?” I told her.

“Don’t worry, I have a plan,” she reassured.

“If you say so,” I took the key out of my pocket and handed it to her. Fabian and I exchanged nervous glances as we waited for Nina to come back. When she did, she was empty-handed. 

“What did you do with it?” I whispered to her.

“I put it on the floor?” Nina answered.

“You left it on the floor?” Jerome said, exasperated.

“Did you have a better idea?” I asked him, to which he only shook his head.

“This way he can’t search us for it,” Nina explained.

“And why should we take the rap for you guys?” Jerome questioned, looking between Nina and me.

“Why?” Fabian stepped in. “Because you guys are the ones who made them steal the key in the first place.”

Before anyone could say anything more, Victor entered the room, with the key in hand.

“Oh yes, very clever,” Victor came up to us. “Very clever indeed. Who put this on the floor outside my office?” He eyed everyone, before turning to his left to where Jerome stood. “Was it you?” He asked him.

“No,” Jerome said quietly. 

Victor continued to ask everyone if they had planted the key, but everyone denied it. That is until Nina couldn’t handle the guilt, and she admitted to it.

“Yes, it was me,” Nina said.

“Ah-ah!” Victor exclaimed.

“No,” I said without thinking. “She’s only covering for me, I did it.”

Nina looked at me in shock and almost annoyance.

“No,” Fabian said from across the circle, taking us all by surprise. “It was me.”

“They’re both lying,” Nina said. “It was me.”

“Make up your minds,” Victor stated. “Who was it?”

“Me,” Mick said, making us all look to him in surprise. “I did it.”

“What?” Victor said in disbelief.

“I did it,” Mick repeated. “Total key thief.”

“Actually,” Mara interrupted. “He’s lying, it was me Victor.”

“Oh, yeah,” Amber caught on. “I mean no, it wasn’t her, it was me. I love to steal keys so much.”

“Actually, it was me,” Patricia said, sending Nina and me a small smile.

“Stop playing me for a fool. Jerome, I know I can rely on you,” Victor said, turning his back on Nina and me to face Jerome. “Who was it?”

Jerome eyed Victor, and then his gaze met mine. I gave him a stern look, hoping that he would follow the rest of us. His eyes were equally as hard, but eventually, they softened, and he turned back to Victor.

“It was me,” he grumbled.

“That is it!” Victor yelled in response. “You are all grounded for the entire weekend.”

With that, Victor made his exit out of the room. Nina and I smiled at each other, and the rest of Anubis house let out a collective laugh. Jerome gave me a disheartened look, but I only smiled in return, making him groan with annoyance. I chose to ignore Jerome’s attitude, and focus on the fact that we had all just gotten away with stealing the key from Victor, and Nina and I were finally making friends in Anubis house instead of enemies.


	6. House of Cheats / House of Rumors

Turns out Victor grounding us wasn’t the worst thing that could’ve happened. I used it as an excuse to stay in our room and do homework. On the other hand, Nina was annoyed by the grounding, as we weren’t making much progress trying to crack the ancient Rubik’s cube. She was still hesitant about going to Fabian’s uncle, despite the fact that both Fabian and I tried to convince her. Fabian spent a lot of time in our room over the weekend to decode some of the hieroglyphics, and he and Nina seemed both equally invested. I, being less invested, spent a lot of time with our new roommate Amber. Amber and Patricia swapped rooms after the party, so Nina and I now shared with her. When I asked her about it, Amber said that she and Mara had a fight and that she no longer wanted to share with her. Amber didn’t tell me what the fight was about, as I never asked, but I had a sneaking suspicion that the fight was about Mick.

By the time Monday came around, I was actually excited to leave Anubis House for classes. The maroon coloring and oak wood detailing of Anubis House lost its charm quickly, so I was eternally grateful to see the inside of our french classroom. I sat in my normal spot, mentally reviewing the topics for the french test we were about to take. Being grounded at Anubis House had forced me to start study out of boredom. I was surprised to find that neither Nina or Fabian was here when the bell rang. It wasn’t like them to miss class. We were about to start the test when they both stumbled in awkwardly. Nina sat down next to me, and I gave her a confused look.

“I’ll explain later,” she whispered to me. 

I nodded to her and turned back to the test. French wasn’t my best subject and I had developed a headache by the time the test was finally over. Afterward, I found Nina in the hallway and pulled her aside at our lockers.

“So, what was that?” I asked her.

“Fabian and I went to speak to his uncle,” Nina started. “To ask about the clues that we found.”

“Clues?” 

“From the attic,” she explained.

“Are we in Scooby-Doo now?” I asked, poking fun at her.

Nina rolled her eyes at me in response.

“So, what did Fabian’s uncle say?” I moved on.

“He said that the cylinders were recordings that we can listen to on a phonograph,” Nina answered.

“Like the one in the attic?” I asked.

“We’re going up there tonight to listen to them,” Nina said. “I want to do this as soon as possible.”

“Okay,” I nodded. “I’ll come with you guys unless you want some more alone time with Fabian?” I raised my eyebrows at her.

Nina gave me a pointed look but was betrayed by the blush creeping up on her cheeks. 

“Fine, I’ll third wheel with you guys,” I said with an exaggerated sigh.

“Lizzie!” Nina complained, hitting me lightly on the arm.

I only laughed at her in response before making my way into the girl’s bathroom. Thankfully, Nina didn’t follow me. After spending the whole weekend together in Anubis House, I was grateful for my time to myself. I slipped into a stall quietly and set my bag on the ground before leaning against the wall. I kept my eyes on my phone when I heard two other girls enter the stall next to me. When they started talking rather loudly, I tried not to eavesdrop but it was difficult. 

“Do you seriously think she’s dead?” I heard a girl ask. I thought I recognized her voice but I wasn’t positive.

“‘Joy’s buried,’ what else could that mean?” The second girl asked. This voice was higher and much more nasally than the other girl’s voice. It definitely sounded familiar. 

“Buried in her work?”

“We’re talking about Joy, not you Mara.”

I finally deciphered Patricia’s voice in the conversation and understood that she was talking to Mara. I was surprised to hear that Patricia was still on about Joy, considering she hadn’t been rude to either Nina nor me over the weekend. When Patricia stopped glaring at Nina and I whenever we were around and instead just ignored us, I took that as a sign that Patricia was moving on. I guess not.

“I spoke to my mum, and she said that Joy’s parents have phoned her,” Patricia continued. “They said that they’re taking Joy to some international school or something, and they didn’t want me to get in touch.”

My curiosity grew at that comment. I’d gathered that Joy and Patricia were close, so it was odd that Joy’s parents didn’t want any contact between them. Maybe Patricia’s suspicions weren’t entirely uncalled for.

“Why would they do that?” Patricia voiced her concerns.

“Have you called the police?” Mara responded.

“They’re in on it!” Patricia exclaimed. “Everyone’s in on it. I don’t know what to do.”

It was silent for a moment before Patricia’s continued.

“You do believe me, don’t you?”

There was a pause before Mara responded, “Of course.”

All I heard next was a scoff, presumably from Patricia, before Mara’s voice cried out her name. Patricia didn’t respond, and a moment later the stall door was opening and the sound of Patricia’s boots echoed across the tile floor of the bathroom. Mara’s footsteps followed, only to stop at the sound of another stall door opening. I was confused, thinking the bathroom had been empty when I first came in. 

“Oh dear, Mara,” a man’s voice spoke. “Losing friends left, right, and center, aren’t you? Though, I will give you ten out of ten for trying to win Mick around.”

My eyebrows dipped. It was Jerome, his sly tone was unmistakable. 

“What are you even doing in the girls’ toilets, you creep?” Mara accused.

“But tell me,” he ignored her question. “What is the french word for cheat?”

_ What was he talking about? _ I wondered. Mara was the last person I could ever imagine cheating.

“You wouldn’t say anything,” she said cautiously.

Jerome’s cynical laugh rang through the bathroom, sending a chill down my back.

“‘Mrs. Andrews, Mara cheated on the french test so she could steal Mick from Amber,” Jerome started. “Oh, and by the way, Victor, Mara, and Patricia think that you killed Joy.”

The words sounded ridiculous coming from his mouth, and I figured Mara heard that too based on what she said next.

“Okay, fine,” she said. “What do you want?”

“Very good answer,” he chuckled. “Do my chores for the rest of the week and I won’t say anything.”

Anubis House had a rotating chore list, and every night it was someone different doing dishes and setting the table. Frequently enough, tonight was Jerome and Alfie’s turn to set the table. I rolled my eyes at Jerome’s motive for blackmail. 

“You can’t be serious,” Mara stated with disbelief.

“Oh, very,” he said. 

There was a pause.

“Fine.” Mara eventually agreed before I heard her footsteps leave the bathroom. Jerome chuckled again to himself, and I took that as my cue.

I opened the stall door quickly, catching Jerome’s attention. The look of shock on his face was satisfying, with his mouth agape and eyes wide. 

“Blackmail suits you, Clarke.” I addressed him by his last name.

“Elizabeth,” he said, surprised.

“Lizzie,” I corrected.

“Right,” he swallowed. “How long have you been listening?”

“Long enough,” I said.

“I’ll do your chores for two weeks if you don’t say anything.”

I laughed loudly and thought for a moment. 

“You have a deal,” I said eventually.

Jerome sighed.

“See you later Clarke.” 

I turned on my heel and walked towards the door. I reached for the door but as I did I paused and looked over my shoulder back at Jerome.

“Just so you know,” I said softly. “I would’ve done it free of charge.”

A smile tugged at the sides of my lips. Jerome matched it a moment later before I finally pulled open the door and made my way towards my next class.

Later that night, Nina was sitting on my bed with me. She was researching more on the cylinders, while I was trying to focus on some schoolwork. I didn’t understand how Nina was such a good student when she was so absorbed in this ancient clue hunting business. I was struggling noticeably, trying to keep up on schoolwork, clue hunting, and sleep. I was jealous of Nina, who had always been a good student.

When midnight struck, Nina and I had no problem sneaking out of our room. Amber was sleeping soundly in her bed as we walked towards the door. I quite enjoyed rooming with Amber, as it felt exponentially safer not sleeping next to Patricia every night. Amber was a heavy sleeper and didn’t stir as I shut the door behind us.

Fabian was waiting for us in the hallway. Relief struck his face when he saw us, and the three of us made our way towards the attic door. We tiptoed quietly across the wooden floors, knowing that Victor would hear us if we were even the tiniest bit loud.

“Wait,” Fabian whispered as we approached the door. “How are we going to get in?”

I pulled a hairpin out of my pocket and showed it to him. Fabian smiled and stepped aside as I put the pin inside the lock. I twisted it once to the left, and then again to the right after I heard a click. I turned the knob of the door and it opened with ease. Nina and I exchanged an excited glance, and Nina led the way up the attic stairs.

Fabian found the phonograph easily, dusting it off before getting the cylinders from Nina. The phonograph had a small wooden base, with a brass horn that extended from the base. It was covered in a thick layer of dust, despite Fabian’s efforts. He put the first cylinder in and turned the crank at the side. He looked up to Nina, and then to me before we nodded to him to start the cylinder. He hit a button on the side, and the only thing we could hear was a sharp ear-piercing scream coming from the horn. I jumped from where I was sitting, heart racing as the sound stopped just as quickly as it had started.

“What was that?” Fabian asked, just as shaken as I was.

“I don’t know,” Nina breathed. “But it was way creepier than I was hoping.”

“That was terrifying,” I added. “If all of the cylinders sound like that, you can count me out of listening to them.”

“Lizzie!” Nina gasped.

“I’m going to have nightmares from that,” I continued. “We need to figure out a way to listen to these outside of a creepy attic in the middle of the night.”

Nina nodded, seeing the rationality in not wanting to go to the attic every night to listen to these cylinders.

“It sounded like a voice,” Fabian noted, getting us back on track.

“Yeah, a voice. Or a moan.” Nina paused. “A death-bed moan. Of someone who really doesn’t want to die.”

I rolled my eyes at Nina’s dramatics as she drawled out the last sentence.

“That’s very descriptive,” Fabian said with a grimace. “Anyway, I mean, this one looks like it’s blank.”

“Is that why it made that noise?” I asked.

“Maybe,” Fabian answered.

“Here, try this one,” Nina handed him another cylinder from her bag. “Wind it faster this time.”

Fabian swapped out the cylinders quickly and winded the crank faster before hitting the button again. The same sound came out of the phonograph, only louder this time. I was expecting it this time, but I still jumped when it started. After a moment, it wouldn’t stop, and I was beginning to worry that Victor would come and find us.

“Turn it off!” Nina yelled.

“How?” Fabian exclaimed. “I’ve only ever used mp3’s.”

I quickly reached out and pulled the horn off the phonograph. Immediately, the sound stopped and we all breathed a sigh of relief. 

“That was even worse than the first one,” I commented.

“Definitely worse,” Nina agreed.

“Do you think Victor heard it?” Fabian asked.

“I think the whole house heard it,” I answered. “We should get out of here before Victor finds us.”

Just as I finished my sentence, we heard the sound of the attic door opening. Fabian rushed to put the base of the phonograph where we’d found it, while Nina and I ran to hide. Nina pulled her locket from under her shirt and held it up to the key in the wall. The wall moved aside, and the three of us rushed inside. Nina closed the door quickly once we were all inside.

We heard the second door open from the staircase, and the sound of Victor’s footsteps were easily heard through the wall. We listened carefully, none of us even daring to breathe too loudly. After two very long minutes, we heard Victor’s footsteps getting softer, followed by the closing of the attic door. We waited another minute just to make sure that Victor was gone before I finally spoke up.

“Can we leave now?” I asked.

“Yes please,” Nina answered.

We made our way out of the attic quickly, and down the staircase. I was the first one out of the door, and while I practically ran to our bedroom door, Nina and Fabian stayed behind. I didn’t feel like waiting for them, so I gave a quick goodnight to Fabian before I slipped inside the room. 

When I got inside, Amber was already awake.

“Where were you?” She asked curiously.

“I was in the bathroom,” I lied quickly.

“Really? I didn’t hear you leave.”

“Yeah, I didn’t want to wake you,” I explained.

“Where’s Nina?” 

I glanced at Nina’s bed to stall time so I could think of a lie.

“I’m not sure,” I said the first thing that came to my mind.

“Oh, do you think she’s on a secret date with Fabian?”

“Probably,” I played along. “I think she has a bit of a crush on him.”

Amber’s face lit up as she opened her mouth, but before she got a word out Nina’s voice sounded through the door.

“I can’t believe we got away with it,” Nina said. “‘Night.”

Amber gave me an inquisitive glance as Nina quietly opened the door. Nina jumped when she closed the door behind her and saw that Amber was not only awake but giving her a very determined look.

“Can’t believe you got away with what?” Amber asked.

“No, nothing, nothing,” Nina stammered. “Nothing at all.”

“You’ve been sneaking around with Fabian in the middle of the night, your heart’s beating really fast, and you think you’ve got away with something?” Amber reasoned out loud.

Nina threw me an annoyed glance, to which I rolled my eyes at her. I didn’t know what Nina expected me to do; Amber was more intelligent than she originally seemed, and Nina wasn’t trying very hard to hide her crush on Fabian. Better Amber think they were dating than searching for clues from that old lady. 

“Oh!” Amber exclaimed. “You were having a secret date!” 

“Not exactly,” Nina eyed me.

“This is so exciting!” Amber laughed. “You, me, Mick, Fabian, double-dates. I can see it already.”

At this point I was already in bed, sitting up and watching this conversation go down. Nina glanced at me with fear in her eyes, but I couldn’t think of any way to help.

“I’m sure I can find someone for you, Lizzie,” Amber interrupted. “That way it could be a triple date!”

“Oh, I don’t think--” I started.

“This is perfect!” Amber clapped. “Lizzie, how do you feel about Jerome?”

“Excuse me?” I asked.

Nina laughed.

“Or maybe Alfie?” Amber was mainly talking to herself. “Jerome versus Alfie--that’s a tough call.”

“We can decide tomorrow,” Nina jumped in.

“Good point,” Amber nodded. “I need my beauty sleep.”

I sighed, dreading that conversation tomorrow. When Amber was looking, Nina stuck her tongue out at me. I matched her gesture before turning over and finally going to sleep for the night.

The next night, Nina and I were discreetly sneaking out without waking Amber. Earlier that day, she found Nina in the bathroom with the ancient rubiks cube and a book on egyptian hieroglyphics, demanding answers. Nina told her everything, much to Fabian’s dismay. I didn’t quite trust Amber either, but she’s very difficult to say no to. However, we weren’t going to invite her to our secret cylinder listenings.

We successfully got to the attic unnoticed by our classmates, and got settled in our usual spot. Fabian placed a cylinder into the phonograph but before he got the chance to press the button, the attic door opened. On the other side of the door was Amber, who had followed us up to the attic.

“Thank goodness you’re here,” she said, relieved. “I thought I was going to be eaten by a ghost or something.”

She strutted over to us quickly, a pair of red heels in one hand and a garland of garlic in the other. Nina hushed her when she arrived.

“Amber, what are you doing here?” I asked, almost laughing.

“And what’s with the heels?” Nina joined.

“I didn’t want to miss out on anything,” she answered. “And these are my lucky heels.”

“Why aren’t you wearing them?” Fabian whispered.

“I can’t actually run in them,” she explained.

“And what’s with the garlic?” Fabian gestured to the garland in her left hand. “Amber, this isn’t _ Twilight _.”

“The bible says ‘always be prepared.’”

“That’s the boy scouts,” Fabian corrected.

“Guys, we should focus,” I reminded them.

Nina and Fabian nodded while Amber took a seat next to me. Fabian began to press the play button before Nina interrupted him.

“What if it makes that horrible noise again?”

“Don’t worry,” Fabian held up a can of oil. “This should do the trick. But if it doesn’t, Lizzie, get ready to pull the horn off.”

“Gotcha,” I said.

We all watched as Fabian added some of the oil to the tip of the needle and then pressed the play button. I braced myself for the horrible screaming noise, but when it was a little girl’s voice instead I was shocked. 

“Mother and Father have given the house a name,” the girl said. “Anubis.”

“It’s a girl,” Nina voiced my surprise.

“They’re going away again soon,” it continued. “To Egypt, I think. Father says he has to, for his work. But when they go, I’ll be on my own again. With him.”

The voice hadn’t seemed creepy at first, but the more she spoke the more eerie her voice became. Her voice got higher, and there was strain in her tone as if she was crying.

“Why’s she crying?” Amber asked.

“It’s so,” Nina’s voice trailed off.

“Sad,” I finished.

“I don’t want to stay here,” the fear in her voice was almost tangible. “I’m frightened of what will happen to me.”

“I don’t want to stay here either,” Amber said loudly. “Can we go please?”

Without waiting for a response, Amber stood abruptly and made a break for the door. On her way she accidentally kicked over a post, and a stack of old books and artifacts went tumbling down. My heart dropped as the sound of the objects hitting the floor echoed through the room loudly. Victor had to have heard that.

“Amber!” Nina and I gasped.

“Right, this is getting far too risky.” Fabian said, taking the cylinder out of the phonograph. He handed Nina the cylinder and put the phonograph on the windowsill behind him quickly. “I vote we get out of here and find a more sensible and safer way to listen to these things.”

“Agreed.” I said, still nervous about the idea of Victor finding us.

We made our way down the staircase quietly, but only Amber made it through the attic door before we saw Victor’s shadow coming around the corner. Amber gasped and shoved me, and the rest of us, back inside the attic and shut the door.

“What are you doing?” Victor’s voice was loud even through the door. “You know you’re not supposed to be sneaking around after lights out.”

I couldn’t hear what Amber’s response was, but eventually I heard Victor yell: “Amber Millington, get back here now!” Followed by the sounds of both Amber’s and Victor’s footsteps. When we were sure they were gone, we opened the door quietly and the rest of us tiptoed out of the attic. 

“Impressive.” Nina commented, speaking of Amber.

“She has a few tricks up her sleeves,” I agreed.

“Maybe she can be trusted after all,” Nina chuckled.

“Let’s not go that far,” I said quietly, causing laughs from Nina and Fabian. 

Getting in to bed earlier than anticipated was a wonderful feeling. As fun as it was to track down these ancient artifacts, my body was seriously tired from lack of sleep. My sleep was interrupted, however, when we heard the sound of screaming coming from the room next to us. Nina and I looked at each other, panicked, before we woke Amber.

“What’s that noise?” Amber asked.

“We don’t know,” Nina said for us.

“We’re going to check it out,” I added.

“I’m coming with you,” Amber said quickly.

Nina and I didn’t object as we opened the door and stepped into the hallway. I looked to our left and saw the door to Patricia and Mara’s room was wide open, and the scream was coming from there. We rushed over, hitting the lights as we went inside. Patricia was sitting upright in her bed, screaming and crying. I looked at Mara’s bed, which had been slept in, but had no sign of Mara herself. 

“Patricia, what’s wrong?” Amber asked her.

The only response she gave us was polluted with her screaming and crying. A moment later, Mara returned with Trudy in tow. In the time it took to calm Patricia down, the rest of the Anubis residents had joined us. Mara and Trudy sat on either side of Patricia in her bed, with Fabian and Amber sitting at the end of the bed. Nina and Mick were leaning against Mara’s desk, while Alfie was seated on the floor in front of Mara’s bed. Jerome and I were leaning against either side of the doorway, a bit farther from the commotion.

“The same man that I saw earlier was here,” Patricia said. “He was standing in the doorway, right where they’re standing.”

She waved a finger at Jerome and I. Instinctively, I moved half a step to the right, away from the doorway. Patricia continued to talk about the man who she referred to as an intruder. Apparently, Mara had already told Victor and he was downstairs talking with the police. 

“He was staring right at me,” Patricia breathed. “You believe me don’t you?”

“Of course we do,” Mara said.

I wasn’t sure if I believed Patricia, honestly. She’s been worked up since Joy left, never letting the subject drop. I watched Mara respond, and it reminded me of their conversation I’d heard earlier in the bathroom. Mara hadn’t trusted her earlier, but was trusting her now, that had to mean something. I looked around the room at the rest of Anubis House, all probably trying to deduce the same question. They had somber looks on their faces, like they were worried and concerned. But I don’t think that concern was because of the intruder, I think it was for Patricia. 


	7. House of Intruders / House of Proof

The morning after the “intruder incident,” Patricia wasn’t at breakfast. I got there later than usual, as I’d slept through my alarm. Nina had neglected to wake me, but Amber eventually did. I ate quickly before heading off to classes alone. I was grateful to have a group of people surrounding me consistently, but there were times when I needed space. There’s always something to talk about at Anubis House, and this morning I just needed some fresh air before I could face that.

We were also getting our french test results back today, and that added more stress to my morning. When I arrived in the classroom, several students were already there, but I was friendly with any of them. I took a seat by myself in the middle row, hoping that Nina would eventually take the seat next to me. Sadly, before Nina could sit down, someone else had already sat down instead.

“So, Elizabeth,” Jerome started. “Do you think Patricia was telling the truth? You looked a little skeptical last night.”

I turned to my left to face Jerome. His dirty blonde hair was styled nicely and it added a few inches to his actual height. He seemed taller than me even when he was sitting down.

“Lizzie,” I reminded. “And I think Patricia was telling the truth.”

“Really?” He ignored my correction.

“I just don’t think that her version of the truth is was what actually happened,” I explained.

“Ah,” he chuckled. “There it is.”

“What about you?” I asked. “Do you believe her?”

“Nah,” he said simply. “Patricia’s just paranoid, nothing more than that.”

“Right,” I replied. “How long have you known Patricia?”

“We’ve gone to school together since primary school,” he answered.

“How often has she done something like this?”

He thought for a moment. “She pines for attention often, but she’s never gone this far.”

“Interesting,” I nodded.

I felt Jerome’s gaze on me as our conversation lulled to a stop. I started to pull my supplies out of my bag, just to do something. The longer I sat and did nothing, the more anxious I became about my test. Normally I wouldn’t be this nervous about a test, but Nina’s scholarship depended on mine, and it wouldn’t be fair to her if I lost it for the both of us. 

I only relaxed when Mrs. Andrews finally walked in. 

“Morning everybody,” she said. “I have your French tests to return back to you.” 

She returned them quickly, and in a matter of moments I was relieved to see an 83% written in red near the top of the page. I let out a happy sigh as I looked over the corrections.

“Relieved?” Jerome asked from beside me.

“Very,” I nodded. When I looked up I saw an 89% written in the top corner of Jerome’s paper, and my eyebrows lifted upwards. I didn’t take him to be such a good student. He didn’t bother looking over the corrections, and simply left the paper untouched. His eyes were darting between Mara and Mick, and then I recalled what I’d heard in the bathroom the day before.

“I got an A?” Mick asked aloud. “I got an A!”

Mick jumped across the aisle to Mara and gave her a hug.

“I knew you could do it,” Mara smiled at him.

“What’s going on?” Amber said from behind Mick.

Guilt wallowed in my gut, knowing that Mara had cheated for Mick. And knowing that she only cheated because she had a crush on Mick. I was friends with Amber, sort of, and I felt guilty hiding this from her.

“I got an A,” Mick repeated.

“What?” Amber asked.

“I’m sure I didn’t get all of these,” Mick replied. “But maybe I just did some really good guesses?”

“Stranger things have happened,” Jerome joined. “Right Mara?”

Mara turned and gave Jerome a confused look before she was distracted by Amber’s approach.

“What are you planning?” I whispered to Jerome.

“I have no idea what you mean, Elizabeth,” he responded with a coy smile.

I rolled my eyes at him. “It’s Lizzie.”

“Right,” he replied.

* * *

I spent the rest of the school day drifting through my classes. My body was exhausted, as the stress from the French exam was finally wearing off. In the middle of our history class Alfie had to kick my foot in order to wake me up before the teacher noticed. Once classes were over, I made my way over to Anubis House to take a nap. Surprisingly, neither Amber nor Nina interrupted me. Once I did wake up, it was almost time for supper, so I groggily made my way down to the dining area. 

I passed Patricia on the stairs, and she gave me a harsh glare before she stomped up the last few steps. In my sleepy state I grew confused, but didn’t bother trying to converse with her. When I made it to the bottom of the steps, I spotted my two roommates by the cellar door, whispering.

“What are you doing?” I said quietly as I approached them.

“Searching for you-know-what,” Amber said.

I was about to respond when Victor walked out of the dining area and towards the staircase. He eyed us suspiciously before he started up the stairs. No one spoke until Victor was safely upstairs and out of earshot.

“Is this really the best place?” I asked her.

“That’s what I said,” Nina agreed.

“Where else should we look?” Amber asked.

I shrugged. “Somewhere Victor won’t find us.”

“Oh!” She squealed. “Like our bedroom?”

“Sure,” I said half-heartedly.

Nina shot me a look, but followed Amber up the steps regardless. Instead of joining Nina and Amber, I followed the scent of spices coming from the kitchen. When I walked in, I saw Trudy plating spaghetti and tomato sauce onto plates, with bowls of garlic bread already on the dining room table. Mara was walking back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room, setting the table.

“Do you want help?” I asked Mara. thinking about the conversation I’d overheard with her and Jerome in the bathroom. 

“If you don’t mind,” Mara said gratefully.

“I’ve got nothing else to do,” I smiled at her before grabbing two plates from the kitchen and carrying them to the dining room. I knew that Jerome was blackmailing Mara into doing his chores, but Mara didn’t know that I knew. I didn’t take it as my place to say anything to Mara, since she’d already agreed, but I figured the least I could do was help Mara with the chores. I was carrying a large salad bowl and tongs into the dining room when Jerome’s figure appeared in the doorway.

“Ah, Mara, you’ve set the table so nicely,” Jerome smiled to himself. “You should do it more often.”

“Ha, ha,” Mara replied unenthusiastically.

It was then that Jerome noticed me as I placed the salad bowl between two bowls of garlic bread.

“Elizabeth,” he said, surprised. 

“I didn’t want Mara to have to do this by herself,” I gave him a knowing look. “That would just be unfair.”

“I see.” The hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

I made my way back to the kitchen, Jerome doing the opposite and taking a seat on the couch. I spotted Mara giving him a glare, and couldn’t help but laugh at the dynamic between them. Mara’s frustration with Jerome was amusing, and Jerome’s interest in Mara and Mick’s relationship was equally as amusing.

The rest of the table was set quickly, and soon enough the rest of the members of Anubis House had joined us at the dinner table. Mara and I sat next to each other, making small talk about classes and bonding. Mara was one of the smartest students at Amun Boarding School, and her dedication was inspiring. I nearly asked her if she would consider tutoring me in French, now that she had the time open. I didn’t, however, because I was worried it would remind her of Mick. 

Across the table, I noticed Jerome looking at us frequently throughout dinner. He seemed nervous that we were talking, as if I would say anything to detriment his plans to blackmail Mara. 

On the other side of me was Amber, who had been talking enthusiastically with Nina who sat at the head of the table. Fabian, who sat across from Amber, was just as enthralled with their conversation. I figured they were speaking about the clues, and I was slightly annoyed that I wasn’t involved in the conversation, too. I tried to focus on my conversation with Mara to distract myself, but it was difficult.

Towards the end of dinner, Amber leaned over to me and whispered in my ear.

“I found a clue!” Even when quiet, her excitement was clear.

“What was it?” I responded, just as quiet.

“We’ll show you after dinner,” Amber explained.

After dinner, Nina, Amber, Fabian and I rushed upstairs to see what Amber had found. Amber dragged me into our bedroom by my hand, Fabian and Nina following closely behind. Nina shut the door quickly once we were all inside, and then nodded for Amber to show us the clue. Amber brought us over to the opposite wall from the door, near the foot of my bed. She reached her hand up and peeled back a section of the light purple wallpaper, revealing a series of tally marks and writing that said “Help me! Sarah Frobisher-Smyth.”

“Woah,” I breathed. “Is it the same Sarah from the old person’s home?”

Nina nodded at me. “That’s our hunch.”

“Are you sure it’s her?” Fabian asked.

“She told me her name was Sarah, and when I first found her she said that this house was where she lived,” Nina explained.

“I agree,” I nodded. “She may be old, but she seemed truthful.”

Fabin shrugged, letting the argument fall.

Four hours later, we sat upstairs in the attic, listening to the cylinders and recording them. The recording was Amber’s idea, surprisingly. Amber was sitting between Nina and I, with her head resting on my shoulder. Amber wasn’t yet used to staying up this late and sneaking around as much as we were. Nina and Fabian were watching the phonograph with intent, as if watching it would make this process quicker.

No matter how many times we listened to these cylinders, it never got easier. The girl’s voice was always just as creepy, and the attic gave me chills when I looked around. Tonight’s cylinder was especially creepy.

“Mother and father have given the house a name, Anubis.” The young voice came from the phonograph. “I think it’s Egyptian.”

“Lizzie, tell me a story about something nice,” Amber interrupted, catching on to how creepy these cylinders were. “Please.”

Before I could answer, Fabian sighed and shut the tape off.

“Okay, Amber, these are the rules: we sit and record every single cylinder,” Fabian started. “In silence. Even though it’s fuzzy, we need total silence in order to clear it later. Okay?”

“Okay,” Amber said sadly. I gave her hand a small squeeze, letting her know that I was with her. “Sorry.”

Nina gave her an almost apologetic look before turning back to Fabian, signaling for him to resume the cylinder.

“I wish my parents could come back,” The voice sounded sad. “Sometimes I see their faces in the mirror, but I know they're not there. And I know it wasn't an accident.”

There was a pause.

“He did it,” Sarah sounded angrier now. “He murdered them.”

My jaw dropped as Sarah’s final words sank in. 

“Murdered?” Nina repeated, exchanging nervous glances with the rest of us.

“I think I’m done for tonight,” I admitted, nausea settling into my stomach.

Fabian swallowed. “That’s not a bad idea.”

* * *

The next day after drama class I was at my locker switching out my books, when Jerome came up beside me. I looked passed my locker door to him, raising my eyebrows expectantly. He gave me a smile, one that stretched far enough into his cheeks that it looked painful. 

“What do you want?” I asked him quickly. 

“What makes you think I want something?” He asked incredulously.

“Just a hunch,” I answered.

“Well, I’m sorry to inform you that your ‘hunch’ is incorrect,” his smile returned.

“So, why are you talking to me then?” I asked, still not believing him.

“Can’t a friend just stop by to say ‘Hi’?” 

“Are we friends?” 

Jerome gasped dramatically, “I cannot believe you’d ask such a thing.”

I rolled my eyes.

“I thought our budding friendship was on the rise, up until now,” he paused before continuing. “Speaking of budding friendships, you and Mara seem to have hit it off.”

I squinted my eyes at him.

“Yeah, what about it?”

“Just wanted to see how you two were getting along,” he stated.

“She’s nice, nicer than Patricia at least,” I answered. 

He chuckled. “That’s for sure.”

“Why the sudden interest in my friendship with Mara?”

He opened his mouth to reply, but Nina abruptly stepped in between us. Jerome took a step back, startled by Nina’s sudden appearance. I was less started, used to Nina’s antics.

“Come with me,” she said without question, grabbing my wrist.

“Do I have a choice?” I asked, mostly rhetorically. NIna didn’t respond, only walked passed me, pulling me with her. I barely shut my locker door and muttered a ‘see ya later’ to Jerome before Nina was dragging me down the hallway to Fabian’s locker. Nina finally let go of me when we reached Fabian, our presence making him jump. I rolled my shoulder, recovering from Nina’s pulling.

“We’re going to visit Sarah,” Nina said to Fabian.

“We are?” I asked, unaware.

“Yes,” Nina said quickly. “If she’s really the girl on the recordings, then maybe she can tell us something about the murderer.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Fabian offered.

“That might not be the best idea,” I noted.

“As much as I want you to, Lizzie’s right, she freaked out last time,” Nina said.

“Yeah,” Fabian nodded, before pulling out the ancient Rubik’s Cube from his locker. “I need to have another crack at this, it’s driving me mad.”

“What are you three whispering about?” Amber’s voice sounded from behind me, and I turned to see her approaching us eagerly. “Where are you going?”

I opened my mouth to tell her that we were going to visit Sarah, but Nina beat me to it.

“Nowhere,” she said quickly.

I was confused, but I followed Nina’s gaze to see that Mick had followed Amber and was also within earshot. Amber picked up on it too, because she nodded.

“Oh, of course,” she said. “Nowhere, totally.”

“Do you fancy going into town later babe?” Mick asked her. “We both got free periods so I thought maybe we could--”

“Hey!” Amber interrupted him, putting a set of earphones in his ears. “Check out my new playlist, it’s major.”

Mick held the earphones closer to his ears, allowing for us to speak freely.

“We’re going to the home to visit Sarah,” Nina whispered.

“Excuse me?” Amber sounded offended. “You’re going on a fact-finding trip and didn’t invite me?” Amber paused. “Two secs, while I fix my face.”

She turned back to Mick, just as he took his earphones out of his ears.

“So are we going into town now?” He asked.

“No can do boo.” Amber said quickly, before turning back to us and whispering: “Do not leave without me.”

Amber gave Mick a quick peck on the cheek before running off to the bathroom. Mick watched her leave before giving a slightly frustrated look to Fabian. Fabian only shrugged, and I gathered that this was typical behavior from Amber. He sauntered off awkwardly before Amber came back, and I felt bad for him.

“If Sarah’s frightened of me, wait ‘till she meets Amber,” Fabian laughed.

Nina and I laughed, and a few minutes later Amber returned to us. We said our goodbyes to Fabian and left the school quickly without notice. The old person’s home was only a few blocks down from Amun’s campus, so it didn’t take us long to get there.

When we finally reached Sarah’s room, we walked inside and she was sleeping. Amber eyed her with hesitance, while Nina and I took seats next to her bedside.

“When you said old,” Amber started. “I didn’t know you meant like old, old.”

I snorted at Amber’s description of elderly.

“She looks good for her age,” Nina defended.

“How old is she?” I asked her.

“I actually don’t know,” Nina said, more to herself than to me.”

“Well, that’s no excuse for those hands,” Amber critiqued. She pulled out her make-up bag from her backpack and opened it up. After a moment of searching, she pulled out a tin of moisturizer and began putting some of it on Sarah’s hand.

“She she likes it,” Amber said when Sarah tilted her head to the side. “This is moisturizer, it’s really good for your skin.” She said loudly to Sarah.

“Amber!” Nina scolded as I laughed into my palm.

“It’s okay, it’ll make you look younger,” she said to Sarah, ignoring Nina. “Well, not exactly younger, it’s not a miracle cream.”

“Oh my god Amber,” was all I managed to say through a laugh.

“Let’s save the infomercial for later, okay?” Nina said with disdain.

Amber pulled her hand away from Sarah, sighing as she put her moisturizer back in her bag.

“Sarah?” When Nina called out her name, she woke up quickly, and smiled when she saw Nina. “Do you remember us?” Nina gestured to me as well.

“Yes,” she said. “The ones with the power.”

“What does that mean?” Amber asked me, and I shrugged in response.

Nina shushed us before returning to Sarah.

“It’s me Nina,” she said.

“And Elizabeth,” I added for myself.

Sarah’s eyes drifted to me and she smiled again, before turning serious.

“Have you found it?” She asked.

“No, not yet,” Nina answered. “But we found some cylinders.”

I frowned just at the mention of them.

“And we heard a little girl,” Nina continued.

“Rock a bye baby, on the tree top,” Sarah sang, looking past Nina and I.

“Yes,” Nina was getting excited. “The little girl on the recordings, is that you Sarah?”

Sarah smiled and pointed to the other end of the room.

“Look, she’s sleeping,” Sarah said quietly.

I shared a look with Nina and Amber. The more we visited Sarah, the weirder each visit became.

“The little girl,” Nina brought Sarah’s attention back to us. “She said something about a murder.”

“The man who kills,” Sarah reached for Nina’s hand. “He wants to stay forever, he wants to tip the scales of life.”

“Who Sarah?” Nina asked. “Do you know who it is?”

The distance returned to Sarah’s eyes, and she looked away from us.

“Sometimes I see their faces in the mirror, but I know they’re not there,” Sarah whispered.

“That’s from the recordings,” I said, ignoring the chill that went down my spine when Sarah said the same words.

“Duh,” Amber commented.

“You really are the girl on the recordings, aren’t you?” Nina got excited. “And your name really is Sarah.”

Sarah’s face became distorted as she began to cry.

“My mummy’s dead,” she said.

There was something unnerving about the way Sarah spoke, her mind sometimes in the present and other times completely in the past. It was like Sarah was re-experiencing that pain for the first time. The sight of it made my eyes sting, thinking back to when Nina and I found out that our parents had passed. It had been the worst feeling in the world, and watching Sarah, even at such an old age, going through that same pain brought back memories I wanted to stay buried.

“What happened to them Sarah?” Nina pressed on, seemingly unaffected by Sarah’s pain. I looked away and took a deep breath, trying to stabilize myself.

“Who killed them?” Nina asked again, but there was only silence. “I think that’s all we’re going to get for today.” When my gaze returned to Sarah, she was asleep.

After visiting Sarah, my mood had been off for the rest of the day. I wasn’t as talkative in class, something the teachers noticed. None of them came to talk to me, but a few gave me a concerning look. Mara seemed to pick up on it too, aftering sitting with me in biology. When she asked about it, I gave her a meaningless explanation, telling her I was just tired. I was grateful for when classes were finally over, and we returned to Anubis House.

Amber, Nina, and I were doing homework in our room--or, at least, Nina and I were, Amber was more focused on her nails. At around six, Fabian stopped by to express his frustration about the ancient Rubik’s Cube. We had already filled him in on what went down with Sarah at the old person’s home, so he was even more annoyed that we weren’t getting anywhere.

“I just don’t understand,” Fabian complained. “I’ve tried every possible answer I can think of, and none of it’s working.”

“I don’t know what else we can try,” Nina said sadly.

“Neither do I,” Fabian said, defeated.

“So, I’ve had a really important idea,” Amber spoke suddenly. Interrupting their conversation.

My gaze lifted from my homework and studied Amber.

“What is it?” I asked her.

“We’re the only three students at creepy towers who know all about this,” Amber started. “We’re a club, gang, posse, whatever you want to call it,” she paused, “I think we should make it official.”

She looked between us, building suspense.

“Sibuna!” She said finally, holding her right hand over her eye as she said it.

“Sibuna?” Nina asked.

“Anubis, backwards,” Amber explained. “See what I did there? I’m a little bit of a genius.”

A smile managed to tug at my lips. 

“A little bit,” Fabian laughed.

“So, what do you say?” Amber looked between the three of us.

“Does this mean we make a solemn oath not to tell anyone about this?” Nina asked.

“Absolutely,” Amber responded.

“Okay, I’m in,” Nina agreed.

“I’m game,” I joined in.

We all turned to Fabian.

“Let’s do it,” he nodded.

“But no pricking fingers or eating snakes or anything like that,” Nina added.

“Way to spoil the fun,” I joked, earning an eye roll from Nina.

“Tonight, after supper, we make it official,” Amber said.

So, after we were finished with dinner, after I finished helping Mara with the dishes, I joined Nina, Amber and Fabian outside in the woods. Amber had set up a fire pit in a clearing and had instructed us to each bring something meaningful, and initially I had wanted to bring a picture of my mom and I. However, I had a feeling that Amber’s ceremony involved burning out meaningful belongings, so I went for a notecard of my favorite recipe on it. It was a recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, in my mom’s handwriting. I had the recipe memorized, and had taken a picture of the recipe just in case. 

When we had all arrived, we gave Amber our meaningful belongings and took our places around the fire pit.

“Oh, ancient gods of Anubis house,” she started. “We pledge ourselves to your secret and our quest. We are the Sibuna club. And we make these sacrifices as a pledge.”

She reached into her bag and pulled out Nina’s stuffed dog, Merl. Nina quickly realized what was happening and took it out of Amber’s hands quickly. 

“Woah, wait, hang on,” Nina protested. “You are not sacrificing Merl.”

“And this is my signed copy of _ The Solar System is Your Friend _,” Fabian exclaimed as he took his book from Amber’s hand.

When Amber pulled my notecard out of her bag, I swiftly took it as well. I expected something like this, but I wanted to honor of doing it myself.

“Okay, even though these things seem really dumb to me,” her eyes lingered a moment on Fabian’s book. “I know they mean something to you. It has to be a sacrifice.” Amber held up her belonging--a picture of herself.

“Yeah, but such a big one?” Nina asked, before pulling out her keychain and taking off a small animal keychain. “You can have this, but not Merl.” She held up her keychain. “This guy, he’s my lucky charm, this way it’s a sacrifice, just not such a big one.”

Nina tossed her lucky keychain into the fire, and we all watched as the fire consumed it. I saw Fabian rummaging through his pockets, only to find them empty.

Fabian sighed, and frowned as he placed his copy of his nerdy book onto the fire. I folded my notecard and placed it on top, and Amber followed my lead by putting her picture in the fire.

“I, Nina Martin, being of sound mind,” Nina paused. “Well, semi-sound mind, promise to protect the secrets of Anubis House and stand by my fellow club members, Elizabeth Martin, Amber Millington, and Fabian Rutter.”

Fabian and I followed Nina’s lead, and Amber went last.

“I, Amber Millington, being of sounds and minds,” Amber started, causing the rest of us to crack a smile. “Promise to protect the secrets of Anubis House and stand by my fellow club members, Nina Martin, Elizabeth Martin, and Fabian Rutter.”

“These are our sacred vows, let no man, or woman, tear them asunder,” Nina concluded. “Sibuna!” She exclaimed, holding her right hand in front of her right eye.

“Sibuna!” Amber followed.

“Sibuna!” Fabian did the same.

“Sibuna!” I finished, and we all shared a smile.

Our moment was interrupted by a large clap of thunder.

“That doesn’t sound good,” Nina noted.

“And of course I’ve just done my hair,” Amber sighed.

“We should get back to the house,” I added. I poured a water bucket on the fire, just to make sure it didn’t spread, while everyone else grabbed their things. Fabian swung his bag over his shoulder quickly, and the ancient Rubik’s Cube came bouncing out of it. When it hit the ground there was a cracking sound, and Nina went over quickly to pick it up. When she did, she found that the Rubik’s Cube actually broke into three pieces.

“There’s one combination you didn’t try,” I commented to Fabian. 

Nina handed a piece to Fabian, and another piece to me. Amber came next to me and studied my piece.

“What’s in it?” She asked.

“There’s writing on the pieces,” I pointed out. “But mine’s cut off.”

Nina gestured for Fabian and I to bring her our pieces, and when we did, they formed a sentence.

“When daytime ends at midday, through tears of glass the eye shall see,” Nina read. “What does that mean?”

The rest of us shrugged, and another clap of thunder reminded us we needed to head back to the house.

“Let’s look at it when we’re not about to be rained on,” I stated.

“Agreed,” said Amber, covering her hair even though the rain hadn’t started.


	8. House of Confrontation / House of Alarms

The morning after our Sibuna initiation, Nina, Amber, Fabian and I were all standing in the kitchen around the center. There were pastries spread out on the island, and I was eyeing the chocolate croissant. A variety of cereals were also spread out on the table, making me hungrier. We all were dressed in our uniforms, ready to head to school after breakfast was over. Well, most of us. Fabian was holding his tye in his hand, tying and untying the knot as he paced around the small kitchen.

“When daytime ends at midday, through tears of glass the eyes shall see,” Fabian said.

There were no other students in the area, so we were able to speak freely about the next clue.

“Is that on the Shakespeare test?” Amber asked with a tilt of her head.

“No,” Fabian laughed lightly. “It’s the clue.”

“Oh, right!” Amber realized. “I don’t get it though, do you? By the way, do you guys know what _ is _ on the Shakespeare test?”

“Romeo and Juliet?” I offered.

Amber’s mouth formed an “oh” shape as she connected the dots.

“When daytime ends at midday, through tears of glass the eye shall see,” Nina repeated, ignoring the exchange between Amber and me.

“Yep,” Amber interrupted. “Still don’t get it.”

“Me neither,” I added.

“We need to figure it out,” Fabian said. “So, lunchtime, yeah?”

We all nodded, placing our hands over our right eyes and saying “Sibuna.”

“Why can’t there be like a map or something?” Amber asked. “That’s what you usually get when you’re looking for treasure.”

“What treasure?” Mick’s voice came from the entryway of the kitchen as he walked in.

“Oh, nothing,” Nina said.

“Just a little kids treasure map on the back of a cereal box,” I covered.

“I’m like, really into pirates,” Nina continued. “Like, so much.”

“Right,” Mick said disbelievingly before he turned to Amber. “Hi, Amber.”

“Hi boo,” she greeted cheerfully.

“I, um,” he said, before looking down at the box in his hands. He sighed and after a moment’s contemplation held the box up to Amber, “ta-da!”

“Aw,” Amber exclaimed as she ran over. “That’s lovely, thank you!”

“And I thought, we could like, maybe hangout this lunchtime?” Mick asked. “Seeing as you sneaked off without me yesterday.”

Amber’s smile faltered.

“Yeah, the thing is,” Amber started, exchanging a glance with us. “That might be a problem.”

“Fine,” Mick said with disappointment. “Whatever, I know when I’m not wanted.”

He turned and walked out of the room quickly, frustration radiating off of him.

“What’s he so cranky about?” Amber asked us.

Nina and Fabian shrugged, not offering any help.

“Maybe you should talk to him,” I said simply.

Amber considered my sentiment thoughtfully, before turning on her heel and leaving the kitchen. I grabbed the chocolate croissant off the table and following Amber’s leave. As I exited, Jerome was coming from his room on the left, and we nearly bumped into each other.

“Morning, Elizabeth,” he said with a smile.

I squinted at him, “Morning, Jerome.”

He moved past me swiftly and entered the kitchen. I shook my head, recovering from the strange interaction before running upstairs to grab my backpack.

In Drama class, I took a seat next to Mara. She had left Anubis House early this morning, skipping breakfast entirely, so I didn’t get the chance to see if she was doing okay. I knew she had been sad about what happened with Mick, and I just wanted to check in and see if she was okay.

“Everything okay?” I asked her, eyeing her said expression.

“I’ll be okay,” she nodded. “Just a little under the weather.”

“Are you getting sick?” I asked. “I have cold medicine if you need it.”

“That’s okay,” she shot me a smile. “Just didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”

I nodded, “I know the feeling.”

“You have trouble sleeping too?” 

“Something like that,” I told her. I wasn’t about to disclose to Mara that I was sneaking up into the attic every night to listen to old cylinders of the Frobisher-Smythe’s daughter Sarah to find a secret treasure hidden in Anubis House. That would be absurd.

Mick and Amber entered the classroom, talking actively. I was glad to see that Amber had taken my advice when I noticed how Mara’s eyes practically flew to Mick as they walked past our desks. She only lingered there a moment, before looking away and becoming sad again.

“I’m sure Mick will get over it,” I whispered to her.

“You know?” She turned to me, her eyebrows furrowed. “Did Jerome tell you?”

I shook my head.

“Amber told me what happened,” I lied. I didn’t want to tell her that I’d overheard Jerome blackmailing her in the girl’s bathroom the other day. 

“They both hate me,” Mara sighed.

“I wouldn’t say that,” I countered. “They’re just upset, but it’ll blow over.”

“You think?” She asked.

“Yeah,” I smiled. “At the end of the day, you were only trying to help Mick, and he’ll realize that. He just needs to be upset first.”

Mara laughed lightly, the first time I saw her with a somewhat happy expression on her face. 

“Thanks, Lizzie.”

“Of course.”

As our conversation came to a close, Mr. Winkler finally walked in, signaling the start of class. The students quieted down quickly, and Mr. Winkler’s gaze swept over the students swiftly. Mr. Winkler was handsome, and easily the youngest teacher here at Amun Boarding School. That made him the subject of the girl students, and some male students, affection. He could stand and lecture about the most boring of English literature and every girl would still be enthralled, including me, unfortunately.

“Right, let’s talk Prospective Students Day, shall we?” He started. “Seeing as there's been such a poor show of volunteers, I've decided to allocate you your tasks myself. I think you'll all find I've catered to your academic strengths.”

“Well is Mick doing nothing then?” Jerome called from the back of the classroom, causing a loud laugh from Alfie who sat beside him. The rest of the class laughed quietly, even Mara showed signs of a small smile. 

Mr. Winkler recovered swiftly and assigned us our booths. I, along with Nina and Fabian, was assigned to help Trudy make cupcakes and other treats for the guests. I was confused about how Mr. Winkler knew that I liked baking, but I wasn’t about to complain.

After class, I walked out with Mara and Patricia. Patricia and I hadn’t exactly become friends, but we weren’t on bad terms either. And, we both wanted Mara to feel better about the Mick situation.

“I’m sure he’ll come around,” Patricia said after Mara expressed her theory that Mick hates her.

“See, Mara,” I said. “No one else thinks he hates you, which means he probably doesn’t.”

“Just give him time,” Patricia said. “Sorry Mara, I need to speak to Jason.”

And then she turned quickly and followed Mr. Winkler down the hallway.

“Jason?” I asked Mara, but she only shrugged.

I pushed that to the back of my mind as we walked to our next class. By the time lunchtime came around, I was starving. The chocolate croissant was not enough to hold me over. I found Nina, Amber, and Fabian sitting in the lounge that doubled as the Drama Studio on occasion. I took a seat on the couch next to Amber, who was searching through her make-up bag. On the couch across from us, Nina had her head stuffed in a book and Fabian was searching on his laptop.

“Found anything?” I asked, fishing my sandwich out of my bag.

“Nothing useful,” Fabian groaned.

“Lizzie, what do you think?” Amber turned to me, holding up two different shades of lipgloss. “‘Strawberry Passion’ or ‘Bashful Cinnamon’?”

I had taken a huge bite of my sandwich and tried to chew quickly as I looked at the different shades.

“You’re right,” Amber said, not waiting to hear my response. “Either looks cute.”

I chuckled through my full mouth, careful not to choke on my sandwich.

“Okay, so midday is twelve o’clock,” Nina said, looking between the four of us. “Unless it’s a cryptic reference, but let’s go with that for now. ‘When daytime ends,’ apocalypse?”

“That’s the end of the world, not the end of the day,” Fabian pointed out.

“So, sunset?” I offered before taking another bite of my sandwich.

“But where does the sun go down at midday, ever?” Fabian wondered.

“Scandinavia?” Nina guessed.

“No, they have midday dawns, but not midday sunsets,” Fabian answered.

Amber sat next to us, applying a layer of ‘Bashful Cinnamon’ in a compact mirror. But looked up abruptly as if she’d thought of something.

“I know,” Amber was excited. “In cartoons!” 

Nina and Fabian looked at her and gave her an almost sympathetic smile before returning to their research.

“That was a good guess,” I said to Amber.

“What about this?” Fabian asked. 

Nina leaned closer to him, looking over at his computer screen.

“Partial eclipse, a midday sunset,” Fabian explained.

“You’ve got it!” Nina exclaimed. As she said this, Jerome and Alfie sauntered in, carrying a skeleton between them.

“Got what?” Asked Jerome.

“Looks, brains, charms,” Fabian looked up at him. “You know, all those things you don’t have, Jerome.”

Fabian meant it lightly, I think, but Jerome showed a hint of a frown nonetheless.

“Your girlfriend was missing you, Rutter,” Jerome said, gesturing to the skeleton.

“Hello!” Alfie said for the skeleton, holding up an arm and waving it at Fabian.

Jerome tilted the skeleton towards Fabian, inching the skull to Fabian’s face.

“Kiss me!” Jerome mocked. “Kiss me, darling!”

Fabian pushed the skeleton out of the way as Jerome and Alfie continued laughing.

“Wish I hadn’t finished my sandwich, Fabian,” I started. “I would’ve given it to your girlfriend, had I known. She’s practically skin and bones.”

“Ha, ha,” Fabian looked up at me, wanted to appear annoyed but I could see a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. Nina, however, gave me a frustrated glance that I ignored.

Jerome pointed out something on the coffee table to Alfie, and their demeanor changed quickly. Instead of appearing goofy and relaxed, they suddenly looked tense and like they wanted to leave.

“Well, as stimulating as your non-conversation may be to each other, It's a little bit dull for the likes of us,” Jerome said. “So we're going to go kick up a storm somewhere else.”

With that, Jerome and Alfie left quickly. I pulled out my laptop to begin researching when I noticed that Nina was still looking at me from the other couch, and when I simply shrugged at her she only responded with rolling her eyes. I nearly rolled mine back, but Fabian distracted us.

“This is ridiculous,” he said. “There were 242 solar eclipses between 1801 and 1900, but who knows how many between 1901 and 1923.”

“Why not ask Sarah?” Amber suggested.

“You’ve seen for yourself, Amber,” Nina reminded her.

“She’s not exactly playing with a full deck,” I added.

“Duh,” Amber said, making me confused. “Not Sarah,” she held up the mp3 player. “_ Sarah _, you never know, she might mention something?”

Nina and Fabian looked surprised, sharing a hopeful look.

“I’m not just beauty and sophistication, I’ve got smarts too,” Amber said for herself. “Tons of them.”

I laughed but was grateful for Amber’s idea regardless. We picked up our things and moved to an empty classroom, which wasn’t difficult since most of the students were in the cafeteria for lunch. We pulled up two chairs to one double desk, and I took a seat next to Amber. Next to Amber was Fabian, with the computer, and on his other side was Nina. 

“So, where do we start?” Nina asked.

“The beginning?” I assumed.

Fabian nodded at me and hit the spacebar on his computer. Young Sarah’s voice came out of the computer, only it sounded much clearer than it did in the attic.

“Sometimes, he says things in the hope that I’ll react,” Sarah said. “But I don’t. Instead, I think of mother and father and sit in complete—”

Her voice was cut off and a shrill mocking voice replaced it.

“I tooketh myself up to the attic, and verily there was one massive surprise,” the voice said.

“What’s that?” Amber asked.

“Was that Alfie?” I questioned.

“The lady of the house, locked away, was a total nut-jobeth,” the voice was followed by Jerome’s unmistakable laugh.

“Alfie and Jerome!” Fabian exclaimed, frustration growing on his face. “Well, this explains their hasty exit earlier.”

“Okay, if they’ve heard this, they might know something,” Nina pointed out.

“Then again, this is Alfie and Jerome we’re talking about,” Fabian countered.

“We should still check it out,” I noted. “They might be smarter than they look.”

The rest of Sibuna nodded, and after our classes were finished that day we rushed back to Anubis House. We found Jerome and Alfie in the living area, going through boxes of costumes for Prospective Parents Day. Mara was sitting in a chair in the living room, peacefully reading her copy of _ Romeo and Juliet _, when we entered through the dining room, Amber leading. 

Amber went straight to Jerome and whacked his arm, saying “_ That _ is for going through my stuff.”

Jerome let out an “Ow!” as she turned to Alfie and proceeded to whack his arm equally as hard. Alfie winced and dropped the costume he was holding.

“And _ that _ is for recording over my files,” Amber said angrily.

She turned back to Jerome and hit him once more in the same spot.

“What was that for?” He groaned.

“Just for fun,” Amber smiled.

“How much did you hear?” Nina and I asked in unison.

Jerome and Alfie looked between the two of us, intrigue and a little bit of fear swimming in their eyes.

“That was so cool,” Aflie laughed, only to be cut off when it was me who whacked him on the arm, not Amber.

“How much did you understand?” Nina re-phrased the question.

Jerome shook his head and returned to the conversation.

“Well, if you must know,” he started. “We only heard that one bit.”

I sighed, and I saw Fabian visibly relax.

“And you,” he pointed at Amber, “have some really weird taste in recorded books, Millington.”

I sighed with relief, Jerome only thought it was an audiobook. His gaze bounced between the other members of Sibuna before landing on me with intrigue. I folded my arms across my chest, evading his eyes. I noticed Mara was sitting in the living room, pretending that she was reading her copy of _ Romeo & Juliet _, but watching us nonetheless. We all turned our attention to the doorway when Mick came through it, his eyebrows furrowed and lips pointed down in a frown.

“Hi boo!” Amber greeted him cheerfully, before seeing the look on his face. “I’m so sorry,” her voice was quiet. “Something came up.”

“We’re done, Amber,” he said angrily. “And I hate it when you call me boo.”

With a swift motion, Mick stormed out of the room. Amber’s eyes followed him out of the room, and she was practically frozen in place. My jaw was agape, equally as surprised as Amber. I spotted Mara in the living room trying to hide a smile, to no avail. 

“Did he just dump me?” Amber voiced aloud.

“You bet he did,” Jerome said, a laugh escaping his mouth.

I reached over and hit his arm for his insensitivity and he let out a squeal. 

“Lizzie, what do I do?” Amber asked me.

I shook my head, not knowing what to tell her.

“Go after him!” Nina offered. “I think.”

“Give him space to cool off,” I suggested.

“What’s the point?” Amber said rhetorically. “He already made his feelings pretty clear, in front of everyone.”

She was looking directly at Mara.

“Let’s go upstairs,” I took her arm gently, guiding her out of the room.

* * *

Amber spent the rest of the night moping. Even when we went upstairs into the attic to record the cylinders, her shoulders were slumped over the entire time. It was understandable, and I tried to convince her to stay back in our room for the night, but she didn’t want to miss out on a Sibuna moment. It ended up being good that she came with because we figured out part of the clue. The beginning of the clue, “when daytime ends at midday,” referred to a stained glass window of a sunset in the attic. Amber pointed it out after she interrupted our recording by crying about Mick. Amber continued to surprise me with how resourceful she was, it wasn’t something you’d think just from the look of her.

The next day Nina, Fabian and I were in the kitchen of Anubis House. It was Prospective Parents Day, and we had been assigned to help Trudy with baking treats. Baking was one of my favorite activities. I used to do it with my mom before the car accident, but I kept up with it myself afterward. Nina didn’t enjoy it as much as I did. I had a theory that she only hated it because she was bad at it, but it’s just a theory.

Fabian was carrying a pan of uncooked chocolate chip cookies while trying to open one of the oven’s doors when Trudy interrupted.

“No, no, you’ll have to use the other one,” Trudy gestured to the oven on the left.

“Is that one broken?” I asked.

“The door’s been stuck for as long as anyone can remember,” Trudy explained. “Victor tried to get it open, but it just won’t budge.”

“That’s so weird,” I said. Nina nodded along to my statement, gladly taking a break from whisking cupcake batter.

“It is, I know. It must be a design fault,” Trudy continued. “With Mick’s appetite, I could do with an extra oven!”

I laughed at Trudy’s comment and turned back to mixing more cookie dough. 

“What was the house like back then?” Nina asked Trudy after a moment.

“I suspect this house was very much the same as it is now,” she answered. Fabian had finished putting his tray in the oven and he had turned his attention back to Trudy. “I think we’ve got some photos somewhere.”

Trudy put down her whisk and exited the kitchen swiftly, waving at us to follow her. The three of us did so without question, and Trudy led us to a desk that was tucked next to the doorway of the dining room. 

“I know the hallway was much grander than it is now,” Trudy noted as she searched through the desk for a photo. It only took her a few seconds to find them before she pulled out an old polaroid picture of the front hallway. Trudy was right about it being grander. It was a sepia-toned photograph so it looked very different, but still recognizable. 

“I think we’ve still got that chandelier,” Trudy pointed to it as she passed the photograph off to Nina.

When Trudy returned to looking through the other pictures, Nina pulled Fabian and me closer and pointed to the picture.

“The tears of glass,” she whispered with a smile. 

“That’s the same chandelier we still have?” I clarified with Trudy.

“I think so,” she said. “We can check if you’d like.”

Nina nodded enthusiastically, and about ten minutes later we had dragged a ladder from the cellar to the center of the front hallway. Fabian was at the top, checking to see if it was the same as the one in the photograph, while the rest of us remained on the ground. 

“Why have you three suddenly become so interested in home restoration?” Trudy asked as we waited.

“This is a part of the house's history and we respect that,” Fabian said, carefully stepping down the ladder.

“This is all so new,” Nina added. “We don’t grow houses like this in America.”

Trudy laughed at Nina’s sentiment before a curious expression appeared on her face. Instinctively, I became curious too. I sniffed and the smell of practically burnt cookies filled my nose.

“The cookies,” I realized.

Trudy’s face shifted to surprise as she let out a yelp and ran for the kitchen. When she was out of earshot, Nina and I walked to Fabian.

“Is it the same one?” I asked.

“Yup, without a doubt,” Fabian confirmed.

“Okay, I say two of us stay here, and the other goes up to the attic,” Nina proposed excitedly.

“We still don’t know for sure if this is the right ‘tears of glass,’” I added.

Fabian glanced at his wrist, “I’ll go upstairs.”

“Thank you,” I said genuinely. I didn’t want to have to spend any more time in the attic than necessary. 

Fabian left quickly, making sure to borrow a hairpin from Nina before he left. I put the ladder away while we waited as Nina paced around the hallway. Her pacing was making me nervous, even though we had no real reason to be nervous. Nothing bad would come of us _ not _ finding the tears of glass. But Nina liked a mystery, and I was her twin sister.

When the clock struck noon, sunlight slowly started to shine through the stained glass window on the staircase. It traveled to the chandelier, making it glow in the afternoon light. Nina and I watched it intently, waiting for something more to happen. The glow intensified, and a beam of light cast out of the glass. My eyes followed it, having to squint at how bright it was. It landed on the wall opposite the staircase where an indent of an oval was printed in the wood. I’d never noticed it before, but I could see it so clearly I was surprised we hadn’t noticed it before.

Nina walked over to the wall quickly, pulling her necklace out from under her shirt as she did so. 

“It’s a perfect fit,” I commented as Nina compared the shape on the wall to the shape of her necklace.

Like the door in the attic, the wall opened when Nina raised her necklace to the imprint on the wall. She gasped, an almost laugh escaping her mouth. I stood on my toes to see what was inside the wall, but Nina reached in before I could see anything. She pulled out a long metal piece that looked similar to the ancient Rubik’s cube. One end was smaller than the other, so it reminded me of the bottom of a goblet.

“That’s—” I started before Nina finished.

“Our next clue.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, I'm hoping to get more chapters out soon! Feel free to leave comments with your questions, concerns, or feedback—it's always helpful! <3


	9. House of Flames / House of Passages

“What did it look like when the sun shone through the window?” Fabian asked Nina and I. We were in the attic, filling in him and Amber on what we’d found. Fabian was holding up the clue that we’d found yesterday, studying it intensely. It looked like an ancient candlestick, with the same coloring and marks as the other clues we’d found in the past. At the top of one of the ends was a flat black jewel that sparkled in the light.

“It was amazing,” Nina gushed about the sun. “Incredible, even.”

Fabian averted his attention from the clue to watch Nina. When she spoke, his eyes were focused deeply on hers. She, being Nina, didn’t notice this as she talked about the window. Nina’s smile was infectious, and Fabian’s matched. A spark of envy shot through me as I looked between them. There was an energy that passed between them, connecting them. It made me want that for myself.

“Do you think there’s something inside it?” Nina’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

“We should check,” I agreed.

A moment passed, and at that moment Sarah’s young voice sounded throughout the attic. With all the focus on the next clue, we’d forgotten that one of the cylinders was cued.

“He frightens me,” it said. “He spends a lot of time in the cellar with his dead animals. Dead animals that he stuffs.”

Nina and I shared a frown at that comment.

“But what frightens me the most,” the recording continued. “Is his raven, Corbiere.”

“What did she just say?” Fabian asked.

All of us watched the phonograph, waiting tensely for Sarah to give more details. We knew one person who had a stuffed bird sitting on his desk. Nina, Amber, and I walked past it every morning and evening on our way to our rooms. Inside Victor’s office sat a stuffed black bird that he called Corbiere. 

“I’m more convinced than ever that he’s responsible for the death of my parents, but I can’t prove anything” the phonograph sounded louder when the rest of us were making sure not to make any noise. 

The next voice we heard on the recordings wasn’t Sarahs. It was a very familiar voice, saying an even more familiar statement.

“You have ten minutes precisely, and then I want to be able to hear a pin drop.”

“Victor?” I asked, sharing a look with the rest of Sibuna.

* * *

I could barely sleep that night. After finding out that Victor was involved, all I could think about was how he murdered Sarah’s parents. The rational part of me had to remind myself that it wasn’t possible for Victor to still be alive. That it was probably Victor’s father who went by the same name. But that didn’t stop my stomach from becoming nauseous whenever I heard or saw Victor. I thought that once I went to sleep it would be better, that I would feel calmer the next day. But my dreams were plagued with Victor’s words and his weird bird. When Amber’s alarm finally went off in the morning I was grateful for the night to be over.

“How’d you sleep?” Amber asked me.

“Terribly,” I said. “I kept thinking about Victor.”

“Me too,” Nina agreed, unsurprisingly.

“Weird,” Amber replied. “I slept great.”

She smiled innocently at us before bouncing out of the room.

“How is she so cheery?” I asked Nina.

She shrugged. “Hopefully it’s infectious, we could use some cheer.”

I nodded at my twin before I rose from my bed and got ready for the day. I was beginning to get annoyed by our uniforms. Wearing the same outfit was boring. I missed being able to wear my skinny jeans and sneakers. I gritted my teeth as I walked to class in a gray pleated skirt, and the wind was making my legs especially cold today. Nina and Amber were walking beside me, not nearly as cold. Even when we arrived at the school building I was still shivering as we entered French class. Amber went to sit with a friend of hers from Isis House, while Nina and I took seats together at the table behind them. 

We were meant to spend the class period studying for the upcoming quiz, but it was hard to focus when Jerome and Alfie kept causing mayhem from the table behind us. Nina didn’t notice as much, but I was getting awfully distracted. Jerome, who had finished the worksheet, was continually stealing Alfie’s pencil and trying to flip it by chopping it at the pointed end with his hand. When his hand landed on the pointed tip of the pencil it would flip through the air and land on Alfie’s paper. It was loud enough to disturb me, but not too loud for Mrs. Andrews to hear. After five minutes of this, I finally turned around to say something.

“Could you knock it off, please?” I whispered. “Some of us actually have to finish the worksheet.”

“Jerome keeps stealing my pencil!” Alfie exclaimed.

“I’m done with the worksheet,” Jerome explained. “And you weren’t even filling in the answers, Alfie, just turning your pencil in your hands.”

“Well, I would’ve been doing it if you hadn’t kept taking my pencil.”

“No, you wouldn’t ha—” Jerome started before I interrupted him.

“That’s really not important,” I said, causing them to turn their attention back to me. “I actually am trying to finish the worksheet and your ruckus is making that very difficult.”

“Ruckus?” Alfie asked.

“Just please, keep your shenanigans to yourselves,” I said, ignoring Alfie.

“Shenanigans?” This time it was Jerome. “That’s insulting.”

“What else would you call it?” I asked.

“Talent,” he said with a shrug.

I rolled my eyes at him and was about to turn back to my worksheet when his eyes lit up like they had an idea.

“What?” I asked him.

“If I gave you my worksheet to copy off of, then could I continue practicing my pencil flipping technique?” Jerome asked seriously.

After Jerome finished Nina’s head rose from her paper and gave me a pointed look. Apparently, she’d been listening to our conversation and didn’t approve of what Jerome was proposing. But I sucked at French, and I wanted to be done with the worksheet.

“You have a deal,” I said to him. We exchanged a smile as he handed me his worksheet to copy off of.

“Hey,” I heard Alfie exclaim after I turned back around. “You never let me copy off of your worksheet for free.”

I scoffed but didn’t get the chance to hear Jerome’s response because Nina spoke over him. 

“Lizzie, that’s cheating,” Nina reprimanded.

“It’s only a worksheet Nina,” I responded without looking up at her.

Mrs. Andrews coughed loudly from the front of the room, and for a moment I thought she was going to call me out on cheating from Jerome’s worksheet. When she called out Fabian’s name instead, I was a mixture of relieved and worried at the same time. Fabian had his headphones in, and it was very possible he was listening to the mp3 recordings from the cylinders.

“Listening to music whilst you’re supposed to be studying shows very little respect for me,” Mrs. Andrews said as she walked over to Fabian’s desk.

“I’m really sorry Miss,” Fabian explained. “It just helps me to think.”

“You know the rules,” she extended her hand. “Mp3’s are not allowed in class.”

I groaned as Fabian handed over the mp3 player.

“When will I get it back?” He asked.

“When I’m ready,” Mrs. Andrews said before she walked back to her desk.

Amber turned to him from where she sat in front of us and gave him a disdainful look before glancing at us with a frown.

“Your boyfriend’s lost our mp3 player,” I whispered to Nina.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” she defended.

“If you say so,” I turned back to copying Jerome’s work.

“Besides,” she continued. “With your taste in boys who are you to judge?”

I scoffed as Amber turned around quickly, having heard what Nina said.

“You’ve had boyfriends Lizzie?” She asked me.

“Only one,” I explained.

Now it was Nina’s time to scoff at my remark.

“She’s had several, and they were all terrible,” Nina said to Amber.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I refuted.

“Tyler, Andy, and Cameron?” She said with exaggeration.

“Okay first off, Tyler and I never dated,” I started.

“Right, you only hooked up with him behind his girlfriend’s back,” Nina accused.

Amber gasped and exclaimed, “Ohmygosh Lizzie!” 

I shushed Amber quickly, not wanting Mrs. Andrews to yell at us.

“They were on a break, so technically Tyler was single,” I reminded Nina.

“And what about Andy and Cameron?” Nina asked with a touch of spite.

“Andy and I were never official, we went on two dates and then he never spoke to me again,” I explained.

“That’s horrible,” Amber said.

“It’s whatever,” I shrugged, having moved on from the incident. “And then Cameron, well, he did kinda suck.”

“A little more than kinda,” Nina laughed.

“We’ll talk more about this later,” Amber said confidently before she turned back to her worksheet.

I was happy that Amber had returned to her work, but I definitely wasn’t excited to rehash my relationship with Cameron. He was an ex for a reason, talking about it would only bring up old feelings that I already worked through. I sighed, looking down at Jerome’s worksheet and tried to decipher his handwriting to distract myself.

* * *

After dinner Nina, Amber and I were in our room trying to figure out what the next clue meant. Fabian had opened the next piece and there was a paper inside that read: “Khet is the place to find and there in the flames you must look behind.” Nina and Amber had looked in the fireplace already, but they didn’t find anything before Victor came to stop them. 

“Maybe the clue’s not referring to the fireplace?” I offered to Nina as I changed into my PJ’s.

“Khet literally translates to ‘place of fire,’” she pointed out.

“The clues before this haven’t been that simple, why would this one be?” I asked.

“I’m not going to question it,” Nina said before eventually putting the clue in her jewelry box. 

“Where are you going?” I asked when she stood and reached for the door.

“To talk to Patricia, Amber saw her going through my stuff yesterday,” Nina explained.

“Seriously?” I said, exasperated. “That girl needs to give it a rest, going through people’s stuff is a whole new level of crazy.”

Nina nodded before adding, “She tried to take my necklace.”

“If you don’t tell her off, I will,” I said.

“Already on it,” Nina said as she left the room. 

Just as she was walking out, Jerome poked his head inside.

“Is Amber here?” He asked.

“She’s in the bathroom right now, what’s up?” I told him.

“Alfie has a surprise for her,” he grinned, stepping fully into the room.

“A surprise?” 

“You should come too,” he said. “You’re gonna want to watch this.”

A small smile tugged at my lips at the thought of Alfie trying to impress Amber, so I decided to go along. When Amber returned from the bathroom, she and I went downstairs to the living room. When we entered, Alfie was standing in the center of the room wearing his pajamas and Jerome was seated on the couch behind him.

“Amber!” He said excitedly. “Sit, please, I have something for you.”

Amber gave me a wary look before she sat on the couch facing Alfie. I quickly stepped around Alfie and joined Jerome on the opposite couch. He gave me a knowing smile after I sat. When Amber was comfortable, Alfie started beatboxing. The expression on Amber’s face grew annoyed before Alfie could even start rapping on top of it.

“What up, what up,” he started. “Amber if I was a gambler, I'd put my money on you. Cause you care about stuff that matters like making yourself look good.”

Alfie threw in an air kiss at Amber, at which her lips frowned. Next to me, Jerome was laughing boldly. I threw my arm against his in reprimand but couldn’t refrain from smiling myself. 

“And Amber,” Alfie continued. “I always scramble, to get to sit with you and make every jock and skater dude so jealous that they spew.”

“Okay, thanks Alfie,” Amber stopped him, holding up her hands.

Jerome’s laughter was louder now, and I let out a chuckle as Amber continued.

“That was totally and utterly,” she started.

“Yeah?” Alfie asked, hopefully.

“Horrible,” Amber finished. “Sweet but seriously, don’t quit your day job.”

At Amber’s last comment I couldn’t hold in my laughter any longer. Jerome cackled next to me loudly, not bothering to be quiet anymore. Alfie turned to look at Jerome and me, disappointment riddling his face. 

“I thought it was great, Alfie,” I stalled my laughs to comfort him.

“Thanks, Lizzie,” he said solemnly.

He turned and walked out of the room, nearly bumping into Nina on his way out.

“Victor’s on the warpath guys,” Nina announced when she entered. “And it is not pretty.”

Jerome was up and out of the room in an instant, but Amber and I stayed back to talk to Nina. Fabian came into the room afterward, looking very confused.

“What’s going on?” He asked. “I was just at the school and the teachers were acting really, really weird. And then as soon as I get back Victor bites my head off and tells me I need to go straight to my room.”

“He’s sending us to bed an hour early tonight,” I explained.

“Why?” Fabian asked.

“We don’t know,” Nina clarified.

Fabian sighed, dropping the subject. “I got the mp3 player back, though.”

“You got it?” Nina asked excitedly. 

When Fabian retrieved the mp3 player from his pocket she took it gratefully.

“Do you think she listened to it?” I asked him.

“Close,” Fabian responded. “But no.”

“Thank God,” Amber said.

We nodded in agreement before we heard Victor’s voice from the entryway.

“It’s nine o’clock,” his voice boomed. “You have five minutes precisely and then I want to hear a pin drop.”

I shuddered at his words, remembering the recording from the night before. Nina looked just as grim as we quickly rushed up the stairs to our room.

* * *

The next day, Nina, Amber, Fabian and I spent our lunch period visiting Sarah. Our plan was to ask about Victor and maybe get an idea as to what to do with the next clue. Nina and Amber had been searching through the fireplaces but found nothing.

We were able to sneak out of school quickly and without notice, as we had done several times before. The weather outside was cool, and I was still adjusting to England’s colder climate. I was closely tugging my blazer to my body in an effort to retain some of my body heat, but Fabian and Amber were perfectly comfortable in the temperature. I was grateful when we finally arrived at the old person’s home.

“I hope we catch Sarah in one of her more lucid moments,” Nina said. 

“She does get very confused,” I agreed.

“She could send us back to a fireplace in 1972,” Nina joked.

Nina reached for the door to Sarah’s room but quickly recoiled once she opened it.

“What is it?” Fabian asked.

“There’s someone else in her room,” Nina whispered.

This was the first time that we had run into another visitor when coming to see Sarah. We were under the impression that she didn’t have any family, or very little if any, and that any friends she had would also be in the old persons home.

“I’ve never seen her with a visitor before,” Nina whispered to us before returning to the door.

There was just enough space for my head to squeeze in beside Nina’s and see inside Sarah’s room. The man was sitting beside her bed and leaning towards her. He hadn’t bothered to take off his leather jacket, giving off the assumption that this visit was going to be short and sweet. 

“Sarah,” he said, his voice light but urgent. “Do you remember me?”

The man was significantly younger than Sarah, and when she didn’t answer right away he continued.

“Sarah, try to concentrate,” his voice seemed more frustrated. “I’m talking about the old days.”

Sarah leaned towards him from where she sat upright in her bed, her eyes focused on the man in front of her.

“I remember your face,” she said finally.

“That’s good,” he said.

“But I get so muddled,” Sarah’s face contorted with sadness.

“Sarah, just relax,” the man said to calm her. “Everything’s alright. I’ll get you some tea.”

He spoke slowly so Sarah could understand him, which gave us enough time to quietly shut the door and move away to the nearby bookshelf. I grabbed a book off the shelf and opened it to a random page, trying to look busy. When he came out of the room I looked over the top of my book to get a good look at him. His jaw was squared and it came to a point at his chin. His hooked nose elongated his face and accentuated the tip of his chin. His eyes were bright blue and I quickly returned to pretend-reading when I nearly made eye contact with him.

“We should get back to the school,” Fabian whispered. “Sarah seems busy and we still have classes.”

The rest of us nodded, and I took one last look at the man before we left. His mouth was set in a small line, perpetually looking angry and annoyed. That face stayed with me the rest of the night, and I even found myself thinking about it at dinner that night. I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn’t even hear when Patricia started talking to me.

“Are you even listening to me, Lizzie?” I eventually heard Patricia ask me.

I was about to respond when I remembered that the rest of Anubis House had agreed on giving Patricia the silent treatment. I didn’t want to be the odd one out, so I didn’t say anything back to Patricia.

“Okay, what’s with the silent treatment?” Patricia asked the table.

“What you did to Amber was terrible,” Nina said eventually.

I nodded in agreement from across the table. Nina was referring to the incident that happened at breakfast that morning when Patricia dumped water over Amber. Amber told me after our trip to visit Sarah that it was because Patricia had asked Amber not to tell Nina that she was trying to steal Nina’s locket, but Amber told Nina anyways. The rest of the Anubis house members sided with Amber, leading to giving Patricia the silent treatment.

“And what do you think Mara?” Patricia asked the girl sitting opposite her.

“You went too far,” Mara said instantly. “Plus, I was on clean-up duty.”

“Yeah, okay,” Patricia agreed, getting everyone’s attention. “You’re probably right.”

“Woah,” Alfie said from the seat next to me.

“I’m sorry, Amber,” Patricia said.

I was shocked that she’d agreed so easily, as was the rest of the table. And she sounded sincere too, much more so than when she’d apologized to Nina and me. 

“Falls of his chair in amazement,” Alfie said as he purposefully fell onto the floor.

“Did Patricia I’m-Never-Wrong-Williamson just apologize?” Jerome said from the other side of me.

“Shut up slimeball,” she said back at him. “Oh and nice cologne, Eau de Cat Pee?”

I rolled my eyes at her comment, thinking that I didn’t really mind his cologne even if it was a bit strong.

“That’s hysterical,” he muttered only loud enough for the people sitting beside him to hear.

“And Nina,” she started again. “I’m sorry about going through your stuff. The thing is, I did have a reason and if you’re interested I’ll tell you about it. Not now, obviously, but in private sometime?”

“Yeah sure,” Nina said, causing me to give her a cautious look. “You, me, no witnesses. Should be fine.”

Patricia rolled her eyes at my twin.

“Seriously,” Nina said, breaking character. “I’d like to talk.”

We went the rest of the dinner speaking, now that Patricia had made nice with everyone. Afterward, Fabian, Nina, Amber and I were in the kitchen finishing the dishes. Well, I wasn’t on chore duty that evening but Nina wanted to brainstorm about the clue so I accompanied them to the kitchen. 

“Are you going to take Patricia up on her offer?” Fabian asked Nina.

When my sister didn’t respond, I looked up from my homework to find her staring at the broken oven.

“Nina?” Fabian asked repeatedly in an effort to get her attention.

“Could that be a fireplace?” She asked, referring to the oven.

“Definitely,” I said. “But you remember what Trudy said about it not opening.”

“Maybe she didn’t have the key,” Nina said more to herself.

“What are you getting at?” Fabian asked her.

“This is a real long-shot but,” Nina said as she walked around the kitchen island. 

When she reached the old oven she bent down, taking her necklace out from under her shirt. When she held it up, a grove in the oven door started to glow red. It was just like the one upstairs in the attic, I realized. Nina figured it out too and held up the locket to the grove. It fit perfectly and the bottom of the oven swung backward, revealing a tunnel into darkness.

“Doesn’t seem that long to me,” I laughed.

“It has steps going down,” Nina chuckled alongside me.

I joined her at the opening, with Amber and Fabian behind us.

“Wow,” Amber exclaimed, but I could tell she was nervous.

“It makes so much sense,” Fabian said. “Khet inferno, place of fire.”

“English please,” Amber groaned.

“Inferno means ‘hell,’” Fabian explained, a pained expression suddenly crossing his face. “The clue means ‘down in hell.’”

I now understood Fabian’s concern. I shared a worried glance with Nina, before looking back into the oven to be met with the dark and empty passageway.


	10. House of Kidnap / House of Cat Nap

The night we discovered Nina’s locket opened the door to the cellar Nina was eager to go exploring. I kept my concerns to myself because, despite the fact that exploring the creepy cellar was the last thing I wanted to do, I knew it was right for Sibuna. So, I didn’t protest when Nina, Amber and I snuck past Victor’s office and lightly hurried down the stairs. We tiptoed to Fabian’s room and knocked on the door softly. There was a shriek and then a large bang that sounded through the hallway, making us jump in surprise. After looking down the hallway only to be met with no one, I realized the sound had come from Jerome and Alfie’s room. I could only imagine what type of antics they were pulling, but something told me I’d rather be in there than on my way to the creepy cellar. 

Fabian exited his room a moment later, looking at us curiously.

“Was that you guys?” He asked, referring to the noise.

“Alfie and Jerome,” Nina explained. They shared an annoyed glance before we headed to the kitchen. 

While Nina opened the oven door I considered grabbing a snack from one of the cupboards. I hadn’t eaten much at dinner, and these late-night adventures brought out the stress-eater in me. I opened the cupboard where Trudy kept the sweets and was in the middle of reaching for a box of cookies when Nina’s voice stopped me.

“Lizzie, what are you doing?” She hissed at me.

“What does it look like? I’m getting a snack,” I bit back.

“This is no time for cookies,” Nina said, eyeing the box in my hand.

I rolled my eyes and opened the box anyway.

“Lizzie,” she warned.

“Nina’s right,” Amber jumped in. “Midnight snacking will spark your blood sugar and can lead to diabetes, this is certainly not the right time for a cookie.”

I smiled at Amber, “Don’t worry, I’m only having one.”

“Whatever, let’s go,” Nina sighed.

I ate the cookie quickly and was the last of us to crawl through the oven door. I shut it quietly behind me and then followed the rest of Sibuna down to the cellar. We each had our flashlights out, and Amber led the way as we rounded a corner. 

Amber shrieked loudly before exclaiming, “A ghost!” 

Her flashlight was pointed at something on the other side of the room, but I didn’t even look at what it was before declaring it wasn’t a ghost.

“More like a sheet,” Nina corrected, earning a chuckle from Fabian.

“Can we turn the lights on, please?” Amber asked. “Bad things don’t happen when the lights are on.”

As much as I knew that Amber’s antics were nothing more than superstition, I had to agree with her. My flashlight was only revealing bits and pieces of the cellar, mostly tables and glass bottles. I wanted to see the whole room, in case we found anything.

Apparently Nina and Fabian didn’t agree as they moved closer to one of the tables to look at the bottles. They reminded me of beakers in science classrooms, whether it was the shape or the varying colored liquid inside the glass bottles that gave me this impression was undetermined. Fabian strayed away from the table quickly, moving to another area of the cellar and beckoning for us to follow. He must’ve found a lightswitch on the side of the wall because seconds later the lightbulbs on the walls light up. Amber sighed with relief but her face contorted again when she eyed the table Nina and I were looking at.

“This place is weirding me out,” she said.

“You and me both,” I agreed, eyeing the cobwebs that the lights now highlighted.

“Can we go?” She whined.

“Not yet,” Nina responded as she met up with Fabian in the next room.

“We need to find the next clue,” Fabian reminded them.

“The creepiness is a little distracting,” I added as I joined them.

The next room had a curved staircase that led to the first floor, with a bookcase at the end of the stairs. The bookcase was wide enough that there were several cabinets on the top and bottom, with a shelf in the middle housing old jars and bottles. A table across from the bookshelf was home to what I assumed would be taxidermy supplies, with a few fake animals sitting beside it.

“Yeah be careful what you touch here guys,” Fabian agreed. “Looks like there might be some other little surprises down here.”

“This stuff smells old and gross,” Amber commented.

I couldn’t have put it better myself. I wanted more than anything to run back upstairs, get another cookie, and crawl into bed. Though even if I did, the cellar was so unnerving that it probably would’ve kept me awake. 

“Guys look on the wall,” Fabian said, distracting me from the dead animals.

His flashlight was pointed at the wall opposite the table where there was a ring dangling. Above the iron ring was a drawing of flames. Nina gasped when she spotted it and joined Fabian quickly.

“There in the flames you must look behind,” she exclaimed.

“That’s easy, it’s even got, like, a ring pull thing on it,” Amber said. “May as well say ‘pull me’ on it.”

“I don’t think it’s meant to be pulled on, Amber,” I noted with a laugh.

“It’s a tethering ring,” Fabian explained. “To tie animals to.”

Nina, Amber and I shared a disheartened look. Fabian took the ring in his hands anyways and yanked on it. After a moment it broke from the wall and hit the ground with a clank, but nothing else happened. I followed where the ring fell and picked it up from the ground. Trying not to notice the feel of grim and dust, I studied the ring. There were numbers written on the inside of it.

“Guys look at this,” I handed it to Nina. “There are numbers.”

“Numbers?” Nina inspected it. “A code?”

“Sibuna!” Amber exclaimed, holding her right hand over her eye.

We returned the gesture with a smile but our moment was quickly cut short when we heard a loud thud from above. The door at the top of the stairs opened, revealing VIctor’s figure.

“Hide,” Nina whispered to us frantically. We shuffled back to the room with the glass bottles, Amber hitting the light switch on the way. I spotted a two-door armoire in the corner and quickly got inside. Thankfully the armoire was large enough to fit all four of us, and we closed the door as much as we could. It didn’t close all the way and the remaining sliver that we could see revealed the table Nina and I looked at earlier. 

Victor’s footsteps sounded through the room, nearly as loud as the sound of my heartbeat in my ears. If he found us down here who knows what he would do. Nina and I could use our scholarship, and that would crush her. When Victor’s large figure passed through the sliver I held in my breath, not daring to make even the slightest movement. He picked up a smaller bottle on the table filled with an amber liquid.

“Ah, so little left,” I heard him say. He took out the cork at the top of the bottle and poured some of the amber liquid into a test tube and raised it to his mouth. “To life,” he exclaimed before drinking the liquid. 

Victor smiled to himself, something I never thought I’d see before he turned to leave. We waited until his footsteps were gone completely before we slowly exited the armoire. Nina and Fabian went over to look at the amber liquid while Amber and I went past them and towards the way we came in.

“Let’s go,” Amber hissed at them when she discovered they hadn’t followed.

“What is it?” Nina asked Fabian, ignoring Amber.

“I don’t know,” he said, raising the test tube to his lips.

“Don't,” I smacked his arm, stopping him from taking a drink.

“You don’t know what it is,” Nina reminded him. 

“Hello, does anyone else realize we’re in danger?” Amber said to us.

“Let’s not get hysterical about it,” Fabian remarked.

“Hysterical or not, I’d rather not spend more time in the cellar than I have to,” I noted to the group.

Before anyone could respond, a loud wailing noise radiated through the cellar. Amber and I jumped together, gasping loudly as the wail swelled to a peak and then went silent. Nina and Fabian—who had jumped toward each other as well—separated quickly before anyone could comment.

“Let’s get out of here,” Fabian said with a shaky breath.

“Oh, so now you listen?” Amber asked with annoyance.

Fabian didn’t respond as we hurried to the door where we’d come from, promising to talk again over breakfast.

Sleeping had been difficult, but my body was beginning to adjust to late nights and a lot of stress. At breakfast, I barely paid notice to Nina and Amber talking with Fabian as I made my coffee. A black cat came into our room this morning, and Amber had a suspicion that it was the wailing noise from last night. Initially, I thought I was still dreaming, but after it hissed and scratched at me I knew I wasn’t. 

Apparently Patricia had approached Nina after breakfast and asked about her locket. I had gone upstairs to get my bag, but when we walked to school together Nina told Fabian and me about it.

“So, what does she want with it?” I asked as we entered the school.

“There’s a friend of hers that says it might be worth a lot of money,” Nina explained.

“Patricia has friends?” I questioned.

“I guess so,” Nina shrugged with a smile. “That’s why she tried to steal it. She wants me to go meet him.”

“You’re not going to see this  _ friend _ though, are you?” Fabian asked. We neared his locker and we paused our conversation as Fabian put in the combination.

“Is it a terrible idea?” Nina sighed, eventually.

“Yes,” I voiced without hesitation.

“I’m just so intrigued,” Nina responded.

“It could be dangerous,” Fabian pointed out.

“It’s someone Patricia knows,” Nina countered. “I mean, she may be lots of things, but I don’t think she wants me hurt.”

“That we know of,” I said.

“Thanks for that,” Nina glared half-heartedly at me.

“Welcome,” I smiled at her. Someone had to be here to remind her that she couldn’t always be putting herself in danger.

“It’s someone who wants the locket,” Fabian turned to her.

“Someone who’s interested in the locket and may be able to give us some more information about where it came from,” Nina corrected. “About its history, its power, its connection to the search.”

“I don’t like it,” Fabian said quietly.

I held in a frown. Fabian and Nina had grown very close very quickly, but it was still strange the way she always went to him for everything. Not that I didn’t mind not having to always be at Nina’s side, but it was a hard habit to break.

“I won’t even take it with me, okay?” Nina consoled him. “I’ll leave it with you.”

“Are you sure?” His eyes were hopeful but hesitant.

“Despite all the screaming, I trust you,” Nina smiled.

Fabian matched her smile and thanked her. Watching Nina grow close with a boy wasn’t something I saw every day, and it made me miss the times I’d had someone like Fabian in my life.

“I heard Amber’s really, really, ill,” Alfie’s voice came up from beside me, taking me out of my thoughts. “What’s wrong with her?”

Amber had faked sick so she could stay at home to take care of the cat.

“I’m sure she’ll be fine by, say, the end of classes today?” Nina said to Alfie before she and Fabian walked off.

Alfie’s eyebrows dipped in confusion as he turned to me.

“It’s nothing to worry about, Alfie,” I reassured him and followed my twin to class.

Apparently he did worry, however, because after class he pulled me into the lounge to show me something. 

“He’s been working on it all morning,” Jerome said to my left.

“Working on what?” I asked hesitantly. Knowing these two it could easily be a prank and I could end up walking away with no eyebrows.

“A get well soon card for Amber,” Alfie said, handing it to me.

The idea would’ve been sweet, had the cover of the card not been of Amber in a coffin. Jerome peered over my shoulder at the card, and while I was at a loss for words, Jerome had a lot to say.

“Amber in a coffin?” He asked. “Yeah, I’m sure that’s going to make her feel a whole lot better.”

I sent him a small glare over my shoulder before returning to the card.

“I think it’s a really nice gesture, Alfie,” I smiled.

“There’s a poem on the inside,” he said, motioning to the card.

I opened it back up, and Jerome read it out loud from beside me.

“I hope you didn’t need an ambulance, ‘cause I spent the whole day Amber-less,” he started. “Without you, classes were no fun, so get up Amber you lazy bum.”

I couldn’t help the laugh that came out of my mouth at the last line. Without saying anything, Jerome reached over me and snatched the card out of my hands.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Alfie asked.

Jerome held up the card in the air before ripping it in half twice. 

“The biggest favor anyone has ever done for you,” Jerome said simply.

Alfie sighed as he eyed the remains of his card. 

“Maybe just buy a card from the store,” I offered. 

He glanced up at me with a grateful smile but then his gaze went to someone behind me. I turned, thinking it would be Jerome doing something weird, but it was my twin. 

“Lizzie, we need to be somewhere,” she said to me, giving a side-eyed glance at Jerome and Alfie.

“We do?” I asked.

She nodded persistently and when I saw Patricia step into the lounge behind her I put the pieces together.

“Are you guys coming?” Patricia asked. “My friend doesn’t have all day.”

“I guess we are,” I said to her. I gave Jerome and Alfie a quick ‘see ya later,’ before following Patricia out of the school.

She took us to the forest near the school, which I thought was weird considering how far we were walking.

“So, what’s the name of your friend?” Nina asked Patricia.

“Rene,” she answered shortly.

“Why are we meeting him in the woods, exactly?” I asked.

“Because we are,” she said with a bitter tone. “Now stop complaining and keep up.”

“So much for turning over a new leaf,” I whispered to Nina. She chuckled at me before returning to watching Patricia. I was paying attention to the way we got here, in case Patricia had any ulterior motives in bringing us to the woods.

Eventually, we came to the edge of the woods, where it dropped off into a cement driveway. There was a large truck in the driveway, parked and waiting.

“Get back,” Patricia said to us, pushing us away.

I gave her a confused look before following her gaze to the driveway. It was Victor, and he was dragging an unconscious man across the cement toward the car.

“It’s Rufus,” Patricia said when she saw the face of the man that Victor was moving.

“Rene?” I asked.

“Whatever,” she was still watching Victor.

“That’s the man we saw yesterday,” Nina said to me.

“When we were visiting Sarah,” I nodded, recognizing the leather jacket and his pointed nose.

Victor opened the trunk of the car before swiftly picking up the man’s body and throwing him inside. With a loud thud, the man’s body landed in the trunk. Victor stood and brushed off his jacket before closing the trunk and walking around to the front of the car. The car started and drove away quickly, leaving us in silence.

“Okay, what’s going on?” Nina asked angrily. “And what’s Victor got to do with it?”

“He’s taken Rufus,” she exclaimed, not paying attention to what Nina said. “Now how am I gonna find Joy?”

I found it hard to pay attention in classes for the rest of the day, much to the annoyance of our professors. I kept thinking about Victor, with what we’d seen in the cellar and in the woods he was shaping up to be a shady figure. After dinner, Nina, Patricia and I met with Amber and Fabian to fill them in on what happened.

“So you saw Rufus visiting this old lady, Sarah?” Patricia asked as we all sat at the dining table.

“Yeah,” Nina confirmed. “She’s the one who gave me the locket.”

“The locket that Rufus is so interested in,” Fabian added.

“Maybe Rufus was a jewelry trader,” Amber considered. “And Victor also collects diamonds.”

“Maybe,” I said to her, though I didn’t really mean it.

“What if the second voice on those recordings is really Victor?” Fabian asked.

“That would make Victor about 120,” Nina pointed out.

“Remember Sarah on the recordings,” Fabian continued. “She talked about experiments down in the cellar.”

“She could just be referring to Victor’s father,” I reminded him.

“But what was Victor making a toast to when he drank that funny colored stuff down there?” Fabian paused. “Life.”

“So,” Nina started. “You’re saying that Victor has some elixir that keeps him from growing old?”

Amber scoffed. “Oh, and a jewelry heist is  _ such _ a crazy idea.”

I sent her a sympathetic look. 

“This is mad,” Patricia interrupted. “What’s any of this got to do with Joy and Rufus.”

Nina and Fabian looked startled at her outburst. They’d probably forgotten she was there.

“I don’t know,” Fabian shrugged.

“And the cat?” Amber asked. She’d lost the cat today when she was sleeping and hadn’t seen it since. Clearly, she was very worried about it. 

“I don’t mean to break up this cozy chat,” Victor’s voice sounded as he turned the corner and entered the dining room. “But ten o’clock is fast approaching. I shall, of course, want to hear a pin drop, so I suggest you start getting ready for bed immediately.” 

None of us said anything as we exited the dining room quickly, avoiding Victor’s heavy gaze. We said a small goodbye to Fabian before heading up the stairs and into our rooms for the evening.

The next day, Nina, Fabian and I were sitting in the lounge at school and looking at the next clue. Fabian had taken the time to write down all the numbers that were written on the inside of the ring in his notebook in an effort to figure out what it meant. He and I were looking at the paper diligently while Nina was pacing around the table and couches.

“Are you okay?” I asked her, taking a break from the numbers for a moment.

“I’m just worried that Amber plus Patricia plus cellar equals trouble,” she explained.

During biology, Amber had asked Mr. Sweet about how an elixir of life could be made and if animal experimentation was part of it. It wasn’t subtle, but it did give us some answers. Mr. Sweet confirmed for us that animals would be used in the process, so Amber became worried about the cat. She and Patricia were in the cellar looking for it, hence Nina’s pacing.

“We should have all gone,” she said to herself.

“All five of us?” I questioned.

“No, it’s far too risky,” Fabian noted.

“What’s too risky?” A new voice asked.

We all looked to the doorway to see Jerome walking into the room, eyeing us curiously. I saw Nina roll her eyes as Jerome came closer, and Fabian quickly hid the clue in his bag.

“What’s that?” Jerome said to Fabian, eyeing the numbers in his notebook.

“It’s just a math problem, nothing you would understand,” Fabian responded. 

I gave Fabian an annoyed glance at his pretentiousness, but Jerome paid no notice as he set his coat on the seat next to Fabian.

“Can I have a try?” He asked.

“Nope,” Fabian said quickly.

“Okay,” Jerome responded, leaning over and snatching the notebook anyways.

Nina and I protested as we walked by us, studying the numbers. After our grievances were shushed, we waited impatiently for Jerome to give the sheet back.

“One, two, and nine,” he said eventually.

“What did you say?” Nina asked.

He turned back towards us and handed the paper to me.

“One, two, and nine,” he answered Nina but his eyes were on me. “I have no idea what the problem is, but those are the numbers that are repeated the most.” A smile crossed his face before he said, “five pounds please.”

I smirked at his antics, thinking he was joking. 

“Get lost,” Fabian said to him. 

Jerome eyed Fabian before turning back to me and taking the paper from my arms. He crumpled it quickly and then threw it to the other side of the room. I gave an annoyed glance to Fabian as we watched the paper land near the trash can. Fabian stood to go get the paper but when he turned he was faced with Amber and Patricia.

“Good news guys,” Amber said enthusiastically as she ran into the room. “Trudy’s going to help us!”

“Help you with what?” Jerome asked from behind us.

We turned back to him to find him looking between each of us intently. His gaze stayed on mine a bit longer than anyone else’s, but I wasn’t going to say anything. I felt bad, considering he’d just helped us, but not even Patricia knew the whole story. He finally gave up when none of us said anything.

“And the plot thickens, as they say,” he said bitterly before turning away.

That evening, we explained to Trudy part of the story. Not everything, but enough to let her know of our concerns. Our plan was to confront Victor with Trudy by our side so that we would be forced to show us what was going on in the cellar. I wasn’t too positive it would work, but I was willing to try it. We sat in the living room waiting anxiously for Victor to come down.

“Okay, Victor’s on his way,” Trudy confirmed as she joined us. “I’ve been thinking about what you said, it all sounds totally far fetched to me.”

That was the first sign that this wasn’t going to go well.

“I know,” Nina agreed. “But once you see all the weird stuff in that cellar—”

“And the dead cat,” Amber cut in.”

“You’ll realize we’re telling the truth,” Nina finished.

“You lot wouldn’t know the truth if it jumped up and hit you in the eye,” Victor said as he entered the room. He took a seat calmly on the couch across from us before directing his question at Trudy. “Now then Trudy, what’s all this about? What did you want to see me for”

“Oh it’s not so much me, as the students,” Trudy informed. “They were worried about this cat that Amber found.”

“A cat?” Victor asked.

“Well, they all seem to think you’ve killed it,” she explained.

“Killed it?” His voice was soft when he spoke, causing the sides of my mouth to dip in distrust. “You think I’ve killed a cat, Trudy?”

“No, no,” she protested quickly. “I don’t, it’s just, well, they all do.” 

She gestured to us.

“Why on earth would I kill a cat?” He asked her.

“For your experiments in the cellar,” Patricia answered.

“Yeah, ask him about the cat scratches on his arm Trudy,” Amber encouraged.

“Clearly visible cat scratches,” I added.

“Quiet,” Victor commanded as he adjusted the sleeve of his jacket.

“Well, how did you get those scratches, Victor?” Her tone wasn’t accusing, like ours were, it was gentle and filled with concern.

“There was a cat,” he admitted. “It was a stray, which I put in the cellar for safekeeping. As it was my intention to take it to an animal sanctuary, however, in the meantime it escaped. And I have absolutely no idea where it is now.”

“Liar, he killed it,” Amber passionately protested.

Victor laughed at her response before saying, “Children, they have such vivid imaginations.”

“Perhaps we could just put all this behind us by popping down into the cellar and taking a peek?” Trudy offered. 

“Are you questioning my version of events?” He asked, his voice hard.

“No, no,” she answered quickly.

“I am shocked Trudy,” he continued. “I am shocked and hurt by your obvious lack of trust.”

“If it puts the students’ minds at rest then?” Trudy asked quietly.

“You want to see what’s down in the cellar?” Victor stood abruptly, his voice echoing through the room. I would be surprised if the rest of the house hadn’t heard it.

“Very well then, fine,” he said, his voice just as loud as before. “I’ll show you what’s down in the cellar, come with me.”

He followed him down into the cellar, and I briefly considered the possibility that he was taking us down here to kill us, but quickly erased it from my mind. When we reached the bottom of the stairs we looked around to find that the cellar was completely empty. 

That was impossible. The cellar has just been filled with tables and experimental materials just this afternoon, according to Amber and Patricia. My sister and I checked the other room, only to find it equally as empty. Not even the deer antlers hung on the walls remained. A long drawl came from the corner of the room, and the black cat came out from its hiding place.

“The cat, I presume?” Victor asked. “Looks very much alive to me.”

“Victor, I am so sorry,” Trudy began, then turned back to us. “How could you set me up like that?”

“We didn’t set you up, Trudy,” Patricia defended. “Honest.”

“But, I saw it,” Amber said sadly. “It was dead.”

“There were lots of things down here,” Nina added.

“Lots of creepy things,” I nodded along.

“We couldn’t make up things that creepy or stuffed,” Amber finished.

“Silence,” Victor commanded before looking at Trudy. “Trudy, it has been very nice working with you over the years but after this fiasco, I’m afraid I can no longer do so.”

“What?” Trudy asked.

“You’re fired,” he responded vindictively. 


	11. House of Cameras / House of Numbers

I thought Victor was joking when he fired Trudy—we all did. We thought he was being petty and making a statement, only to realize he wasn’t joking when we came downstairs the next morning to find Trudy’s bags in the entryway. Amber, Nina and I got to the bottom of the stairs and eyed the suitcases with surprise. I didn’t want it to be true. I had only spent little time with Trudy, but she reminded me of my mom. Trudy was always baking, whipping up a batch of cookies or cupcakes for us to enjoy. Now we’d be lucky if we ever got quality breakfast without Trudy here. I wasn’t sure what Victor’s plan was in regards to finding a replacement, but I doubt they were going to be as skilled as Trudy.

I was standing next to Mara and Mick when Trudy came out of the kitchen, pink coat in hand. Our conversations hushed as she walked to where we were standing by the door. She looked sad to be leaving us, but was keeping herself composed. Fabian and Nina went up to her almost immediately, looking just as distraught. 

“Trudy, we’re really sorry,” Fabian expressed.

“We didn’t mean to get you into trouble,” Nina added. “Honestly, we didn’t.”

“I know,” Trudy started. “It’s my own fault for believing your silly stories.”

I sighed, wanting to step in and say that we weren’t lying. But I refrained, knowing that now our sentiment meant very little to her. Fabian stepped aside and let Trudy pass by him before she came to a stop in front of Mara and I.

“We’re going to miss you,” Mara said sadly.

“And I’m going to miss you too,” Trudy looked to the rest of us. “All of you.”

Trudy turned to me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“I left a few of my recipes in the kitchen if you ever need them,” she said to me.

“Thank you,” I responded with a smile.

“Of course dearie,” Trudy shared my smile.

Victor’s voice sounded through the doorway saying, “Your taxi’s here.”

Trudy turned away from me and gave Amber a hug, continuing to compose herself in front of Victor.

“How can you do this?” Amber protested after the hug. “Trudy hasn’t done anything wrong.”

Victor simply held up his hand towards her, giving her a sign to stop talking.

“Goodbye, Trudy,” he said vindictively with a wave of his hand.

Trudy didn’t hesitate to leave at the sign of his aggression. Within the moment she’d been out the door Victor slammed it closed behind her, sending an echo through the entryway. We moved out of his way as he headed to the kitchen, saying nothing in Trudy’s wake. I looked at the rest of the residents to see if they were as disappointed as I was, to find that most of them looked mad. Namely, Patricia and Fabian, whose eyes were still following Victor’s figure as he disappeared into the kitchen. If there’s one thing I knew about Fabian it was that he stood up for what he believed in, and there was no way that this was already over.

* * *

The rest of the school day had gone slowly, each of us still feeling sad over Trudy’s goodbye. On top of that, Victor’s attempt at breakfast was disastrous, with bowls of inedible slop served to each of us. Naturally, we chose to eat from the vending machines for breakfast instead. Needless to say I was pretty hungry, having only eaten a few bags of chips for both breakfast and lunch. I tried to hide the sound of my stomach growling as all the members of Sibuna were in our room having an impromptu meeting about Victor’s latest house renovations. On our way out from breakfast this morning, we saw men installing security cameras throughout the house.

“How are we supposed to keep searching the house with cameras everywhere?” Nina asked, referring to the new security cameras that Victor had installed. “It’s like we’re on a really dull reality show.” Nina plopped down next to me on her bed.

“He’s such a control freak,” I pointed out. “It’s a total invasion of our privacy to have him watching out every move.”

Nina nodded at me in agreement. Suddenly, Patricia came storming in the room loudly and threw her phone down on the bed in frustration. I narrowly dodged the phone as it landed beside me.

“Don’t know why I’m still trying,” Patricia said as she squeezed onto the bed with Nina and me. “Rufus is never going to pick up. This is like Joy all over again.”

Nina put her hand on Patricia’s shoulder in an effort to comfort her, but Fabian’s next comment peaked Patricia’s attention.

“Except we know who took Rufus, we don’t know who took Joy,” he pointed out from where he sat on the floor, his back leaning against my bed.

“Are you kidding?” Patricia responded. “Of course Victor took her.”

“But where does he take them to?” Amber asked from her desk. “And why?”

“Okay, we need to stick together more than ever now,” Nina said.

“Agreed, especially if Victor is already suspicious about us sneaking into the attic,” I reminded them.

“Sibuna?” Nina asked, holding her right hand over her eye.

The rest of us, aside from Patricia, followed suit.

“Si—what?” Patricia asked, referring to the name of our group.

“Welcome to the club,” Nina said.

“Together, we are invincible,” Fabian joked.

“No sacrifice this time?” I giggled, thinking back to Amber’s antics at burning some of our most beloved belongings.

“No time for that,” Nina pointed out. 

“Lucky,” I said remembering my mom’s recipe that Amber had tossed in the fire.

“Anyways,” Patricia said. “I’ve had an idea about these cameras, but it means enlisting the help of our favorite comedy double act.”

Upon hearing this, my attention shifted fully to Patricia.

“Spongebob and Patrick?” Amber guessed.

“I think she means Alfie and Jerome,” Nina clarified.

Patricia’s plan was simple: have each of us block the video cameras by standing on chairs in front of them. I was with Amber and Nina, watching the camera in the living room. Jerome and Alfie were watching the camera in the front hall, while Patricia and Mara had the upstairs hallway, and Fabian and Mick had the downstairs hallway.

Once Victor noticed, his voice came over the intercom that had also been installed with the cameras.

“Get away from those cameras immediately!” His voice sounded throughout the house.

When none of us moved, he came down the stairs in the entryway and spotted Jerme and Alfie first. Nina, Amber and I watched from where we were standing in the living room. 

“Lewis, Clarke!” He yelled from the stairs.

“What’s wrong Victor?” Alfie said innocently. “We’re only doing the same as you. We’re watching you, watching us.”

I stifled a laugh at Alfie’s words and tried to remain composed as Victor continued.

“You impudent,” Victor responded.

“It’s a peaceful protest,” Jerome remarked before turning back to the camera.

He spotted me from the living room watching the confrontation and matched my smile. Alfie distracted him a moment later, the two of them high-fiving before returning to the camera. I did the same, and turned back to Nina and Amber.

After a few hours we grew tired of our efforts, and felt that our protest had gone on long enough. I was still starving, so after bringing the chairs back to the dining room I went straight to the kitchen. Our protest had skipped dinner, and it seemed that I wasn’t the only one who was hungry. 

“Did Victor even try to make dinner?” Jerome asked, poking his head in the fridge to look for leftovers.

“I don’t think so,” I said, grabbing a loaf of bread from the counter.

“Ridiculous,” he scoffed before closing the fridge and turning to me. “What are you eating?”

“A sandwich,” I pointed at the bread and deli meat I had on the counter. “There’s not much else.”

“Fair enough, mind if I copy you?” He asked.

“I’ll allow it,” I stated.

He laughed and stepped up beside me with his own plate. I moved the bread and deli meat so that they were in between us, and continued to work on my sandwich. The silence grew comfortably, but I felt the urge to talk to him. I remembered how bitter he’d been the other day when he helped Nina, Fabian and me to solve the clue. We hadn’t spoken since, as Patricia was the one to get him and Alfie involved today.

“Thank you for helping us,” I said suddenly, probably startling Jerome.

“We all want those camera’s gone, it was an honor to be involved,” he said dramatically.

“I mean for the other day, too,” I clarified, looking up from my sandwich to Jerome. He met my gaze curiously, almost as if he was waiting for something.

“When you helped us with the number puzzle, we never said thank you,” I explained.

“Oh,” he said quietly. “Well don’t expect much more of that.”

“And why’s that?” I asked him.

“Whatever you’re doing is secretive, which means you’d get in trouble if anyone found out. I’m not going to help you and put myself at risk only to be shut out when I ask for details,” Jerome answered, his eyes growing pointed.

I nodded, not knowing how else to respond.

“Unless you do tell me what you guys are doing,” he hinted.

“I can’t do that,” I said to him, turning back to my plate. My sandwich was done, but I felt like I needed to stay.

“That’s okay,” the bitterness to his voice was hard to identify but present nonetheless. “Everyone has their secrets.”

With that, he took his plate and exited the kitchen. His words echoed in my mind, thinking that if what he said were true then he had his own secrets he wasn’t telling anyone. I scoffed at his hypocrisy as I put the deli meat back in the fridge. 

I sat at the dining table alone and quickly ate my sandwich, remembering how hungry I was. When I was done I went up to wash the plate I’d used, and spotted Nina walking down the hallway with a laptop in hand. She saw me from the doorway and her eyes grew wide with excitement.

“Come quickly,” she said to me, waiving me over.

I put my plate on the drying rack and made my way over, curious about what Nina was doing down here.

“I think I figured out what treasure we’re looking for,” she explained as she grabbed my wrist and pulled us into Fabian’s room without knocking.

Luckily, Fabian was only playing guitar when we barged in. Mick wasn’t here, meaning that he was probably with Mara. Hopefully he was apologizing about how rude he was to Mara today, and I made a mental note to ask Mara about that tomorrow. 

“Sorry,” Nina said. “I probably should’ve knocked.”

“Probably?” I asked.

NIna ignored my comment as she set her laptop down on Fabian’s desk.

“You guys have to see this,” she exclaimed. 

Fabian walked around the bed towards us as I shut the door, with Nina typing away on her laptop.

“I was doing some research for our ancient history project and I found something amazing,” she gestured to the screen.

It was an article about a man named Howard Carter, and some Egyptian treasures, but I didn’t recognize it.

“This is about Howard Carter and how his team rediscovered Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922,” Fabian realized.

“There were 23 people in his exhibition party, and two of them used to live right here,” Nina continued.

“The Frobisher-Smythe’s?” I guessed.

“Yes,” Nina got excited again. “But that’s not even the most amazing part.”

“Look at this,” she switched to a different tab on her computer to show us another article. “They were later involved in a high profile court case, they were accused of stealing items from Tutankhamun’s tomb and smuggling them back to Britain.”

“Woah,” Fabian and I said in unison.

“They were both found not guilty but only by a majority verdict,” Nina went on. “After the trail some of the jurors reported that they believed the couple had hidden some of the items.”

“And?” Fabian asked.

“And I checked,” Nina answered. “And to this day, the items have never been recovered.”

“So you’re saying,” Fabian started. “The treasure we are looking for could’ve come from Tutankhamun’s tomb?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Nina clarified.

“Holy shit,” I said, not being able to help myself.

On an ordinary day Nina would’ve scolded me for my language, but today she only laughed and nodded along.

* * *

The next morning I was on my way back from the bathroom when I ran into Mara in the hallway. It had been a minute since we’d spoken, but I’d heard about what happened with Mick yesterday from Amber. Mick had challenged Mara to a quiz about sports, and Mara got all but five answers correct. Mick accused her of cheating, saying that it was just an attempt to make fun of Mick. Amber explained to me that both of Mara’s parents were professional sports players, meaning that Mara wasn’t cheating.

“Morning Lizzie,” Mara greeted me with a smile.

“Hey, Mara,” I said to her. “Did Mick apologize about yesterday?”

“He did, he’s letting me organize his training schedule to make up for it.”

I laughed at his way of making it up to her, it was perfect for Mara.

“I’m glad you guys are good,” I said genuinely.

“Me too,” she said.

It looked like she wanted to say more, but before she could, Amber came up from behind me and interrupted our conversation.

“Good morning Lizzie,” Amber said to me cheerfully. She turned to Mara and gave her a half-hearted smile before brushing past us and going into the bathroom. 

“She’s still upset with me,” Mara said sadly.

“She’s just worried about losing Mick,” I explained. “She’s not upset with you.”

“I hope not,” Mara bit her lip.

“She just needs some time, then she’ll be back to normal,” I tried.

Mara nodded at me before she mumbled a goodbye and headed downstairs for breakfast. I turned and went back to our room and changed quickly for school. I was getting rather sick of the uniforms, though it was nice to not have to worry about picking an outfit each morning. I was on my way out of the door when Amber threw the door open, nearly giving me a heart attack.

“You still have some explaining to do,” she pointed a finger at me.

“About what?” I asked. A part of me worried that she had an issue with my friendship with Mara. 

“Cameron,” she said simply. “And the other ones.”

“Oh, yeah, them,” I said with relief. Though the thought of discussing my ex-boyfriend with Amber didn’t make me happy, it was better than her being upset about my friendship with Mara.

“Tell me at lunch,” she commanded before turning to her mirror and applying her daily makeup.

“Got it,” I said, hoping that she’d forget about it before then.

When Amber and I arrived in the kitchen it was an absolute mess. Mara was trying to put peanut butter on her toast but Mick kept bumping into her. He was running back and forth between the counter and the toaster trying to carry the pieces of toast, but yelped in pain because of how hot the toast was. Patricia was trying to wash her dishes in the sink but, like Mara, Mick kept bumping into her. I spotted Nina trying to find milk for her cereal, but Alfie ran into her in his attempt to get to the toaster and Nina’s cereal went all over the floor. 

Amber quickly jumped in, reaching for the box of bran flake and a bowl.

“Who’s eaten all the bran flake?” She asked when she realized it was an empty box. No one responded to her, however, as they were all concerned with their own breakfasts. 

I was starting to think that I didn’t even want to eat breakfast anymore when Jerome stepped up beside me in the doorway. He looked just as disheveled as the rest of us with his ty undone and still putting on a shoe. He glanced at me for a moment with acknowledgement and I was reminded of our conversation from last night. I was about to say hi but he simply walked away before I could. I watched him walk towards the chaos of the kitchen and sighed, wishing it wasn’t this awkward.

“Patricia, what’s burning?” I heard him ask.

“I hope you like your bacon well-done,” she responded while holding up a piece of practically black bacon.

I had just walked up next to Fabian when he spoke up amidst the chaos.

“Stop!” He yelled, gathering the attention of everyone in the house. “We can’t go on like this, we’re gonna starve.”

“We need Trudy back,” Patricia agreed.

“And those cameras taken down,” Nina and I said in unison. Nina and I shared a smile while the rest of the residents looked slightly weirded out. It was normal for us, but not for them yet.

“We need to show them we mean business,” Patricia said. “And I know exactly how to do it.”

Patricia’s idea was another form of peaceful protest but this time it included skipping all of our classes. We sat around the dining room table patiently, waiting for Victor to realize that we weren’t in class. Some of us had our homework out, while others were simply on their phones or computers. Mara was helping me with some of the French homework assigned for tomorrow, but it wasn’t going too well. I was just about to give up when Victor came in to the dining room.

“What is going on here?” He demanded. “Get to your lessons immediately.” He gestured to the open door behind him.

“Not until you’ve taken down the security cameras,” Patricia rebuted.

“And brought Trudy back,” I insisted.

“And gotten softer toilet paper,” Amber added, causing us to give her a confused look. “What? As long as we’re making demands.”

“You dare deliver ultimatums to me?” Victor asked, stepping closer to the table. 

When no one responded his frown deepened in annoyance.

“I’ll soon bring you all to your sense when I speak to Mr. Sweet about having you all thrown out of school,” his voice grew louder.

“You don’t have the power,” Patricia hesitated. “Do you?”

“Ms. Williamson,” he circled the table and leaned down so they were eye level. “I have more power than you can ever imagine.”

He stood back up and glared at the rest of us.

“Now get to school all of you unless you are prepared to suffer the consequences,” he was calmer now, having scared Patricia.

Mick was the first to crack.

“Thing is,” he said, packing his things. “It’s this sports scholarship. I need a good reference from the school.”

Mara was the next to go, followed by Alfie and then Jerome. When it was only Sibuna left I assumed that we were the only one’s staying, but when Amber stood up we were all visibly shocked.

“Amber,” Nina said, surprised.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m really really sorry. I’m just scared of the consequences.” 

“Very wise Ms. Millington,” Victor said as she followed the others out of the room. “Very wise indeed.”

He shut the door behind her before turning back to the table. It was only Fabina, Patricia, Nina and I. When Amber left I considered following her lead, thinking that if I lost my scholarship we’d be doomed. But I came to my senses when I realized that if Nina was willing to sacrifice her scholarship then I should be, too.

“So, we have the ring leaders,” Victor pointed to us. “I’m giving you one last chance to obey my orders. Go to school.”

“No,” Nina said shakily.

“What did you say?” Victor asked quietly.

“I think I said ‘no’,” Nina was even less confident this time.

“Yeah, she said no,” Fabian backed her up.

“No,” I followed their lead.

“No,” said Patricia, the most confident of us all.

“No,” we all said in unison, looking to Victor.

Victor didn’t say anything to us, only pointed his finger at our faces in fury. His nostrils flared with annoyance as he walked out of the room and upstairs. Once he was gone we all took a deep breath, finally able to calm down.

When Victor didn’t come back quickly, we started to do our homework again. Nina was busy writing some of the scenes for the school play, occasionally asking me for help with details. The scenes were a bit dry, but I didn’t want to say anything. Fabian had drifted to the living room, working on the code that Jerome had helped us with. 

After about an hour Fabian came over to Nina and me, hitting us on the shoulders and then walking toward the kitchen. Nina and I took that as a signal to follow him and quickly got up from the dining table to join him. Fabian placed his notebook on the counter, smiling madly. Along with a chart and other scribbles, there was the number ‘1922’ circled at the bottom of the page.

“1922?” I asked.

“The year Tutenkhamun’s tomb was discovered?” Nina realized.

Fabian nodded. “ _ That _ is what the numbers meant.”

“Check you out,” Nina hit Fabian with her elbow. “Can you imagine if there really are relics from Tutenkhamun’s tomb hidden in this house?”

“We wouldn’t need our scholarships anymore,” I joked.

Nina and Fabian smiled at my comment.

“This could be huge,” Fabian agreed. “And our next clue must be linked to this date somehow.”

“The sarcophagus has a year at the bottom,” I pointed out. “But I don’t know if it’s 1922.”

“We should go check,” Fabian said. “We just need to do it without causing questions from Victor.”

“I have an idea,” Nina said to us with a small smile.

Her plan was to have us, being Nina and I, stand in front of the sarcophagus with a compact mirror. If we held it high enough, we would be able to see the date at the bottom without causing much suspicion. While we did that to check, Fabian was going to be waiting near the camera to toss his sweater on it, blocking Victor’s view. 

Nina held the compact up in front of her, and I acted like I was checking my face too in order to look normal. Nina squealed excitedly when she saw the ‘1922’ backwards in the mirror. We nodded to Fabian to let him know to block the camera. We would have to find the clue quickly because this distraction would only give us a minute at the maximum. 

When Fabian struck, Nina and I immediately turned to go to the bottom of the sarcophagus. Fabian ran up the stairs, stalling Victor to give us enough time. Nina and I searched around the base, looking for a handle or something that would lead us to the clue. Around the side of the base, I hit a button that caused a drawer to pop out. Inside was a folded piece of paper, and Nina snatched it quickly before shutting the drawer. She tucked it inside her pocket just in time as Victor came down the stairs, glaring at us.

“Ha, ha,” he started. “Yes, how very amusing.”

He took Fabian’s sweater from the camera easily and tossed it back to Fabian. Surprisingly, Victor didn’t say anything more before telling us to return to the dining room and going upstairs. Nina gave me a questioning look but I only shrugged, I didn’t have any idea why he was so calm.

Half an hour later we heard Victor’s footsteps go down the staircase. I braced myself for Victor to come in with his final punishment for the day, but instead of going toward the dining room Victor went out the front door.

“He’s gone out,” Fabian realized. “Quick, let’s check out our new clue.”

Nina pulled it from her pocket and opened it so we could all see it.

“‘Bealeathered and clasped, here is the only place where yesterday always follows tomorrow’,” she read.

Patricia sighed next to me, “Bealeathered and clasped?”

“An old briefcase?” Fabian guessed.

“A book?” I offered.

“Maybe an old diary,” Nina thought out loud before suddenly gasping. “Remember when we got the chandelier out from under the stairs?”

Fabian and I nodded.

“There was a big box of leather bound books in there,” Nina continued.

“Right!” Fabian remembered. “Let’s take a look while Victor’s out.”

We quickly stood from the table and shuffled to the staircase. Nina arrived first and opened the door eagerly before heading inside. Fabian followed suit while Patricia and I stood outside, watching the front door in case Victor came back.

“I can’t find one with a clasp,” Nina said after a few minutes.

I heard Fabian mumble a response but I couldn’t make out what he said. I saw Nina pick up an old picture and study it with her flashlight, and noticed that Victor was on the front of it. Nina gasped loudly, drawing our attention.

“Fabian, Lizzie,” she called to us, handing over the picture to Fabian. “It’s from 1925.”

“1925?” I asked in disbelief, poking my head under the stairs to get a better look at the picture.

“Victor looks exactly the same,” Fabian observed.

“Hurry up guys,” Patricia appeared next to me. “Victor could be back any minute.”

When she saw the looks on our faces she paused.

“What’s the matter?” She asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I think we have,” Nina said, handing the picture over to Patricia.

Patricia gulped, noting the thing that we’d just pointed out. How could Victor have been alive in 1925 to be in that picture, and look exactly the same today?


	12. House of Scares / House of Fakers

I woke up the next morning with a bad feeling in my stomach. I skipped breakfast—my throat was getting tight just at the thought of it. With my extra time, I decided to straighten my hair to hopefully lighten my weird mood. I didn’t straighten it often, but I liked the way it looked. My hair was shorter than Nina’s by a few inches and fell at just below my armpit. Nina’s hair went down to her mid-back, and it still amazed me how long she chose to keep it. Examining myself in the mirror, I realized how long it’d been since I’d seen myself with this hair. It had been months at least, and it was a strange sight—a good strange.

I was knocked out of my trance when Amber and Nina came back from breakfast. Amber let out a squeal at the sight of my hair, running over to see it closer.

“It looks so much better,” Amber gaped, reaching a hand out to touch the ends of my hair. “Why haven’t you done this before?”

“Yeah,” Nina said, coming to observe it for herself. “Why the sudden change?”

I shrugged. “I’m just feeling a little off today, so I decided to do something to make me feel a bit better.”

“I love it,” Amber said enthusiastically. “You simply must keep doing this.”

I laughed at Amber’s theatrics before she turned to get ready herself. Nina gave me a curious look and took two steps toward me so she could whisper without Amber hearing.

“Is everything okay?” She asked me.

“Yeah,” I said softly. “Like I said, just feeling a little off.”

“Are you sick?” 

I shook my head.

“I’m not sure what it is,” I explained. “I just feel a bit anxious, like something bad is about to happen.”

“What type of bad?” Nina asked, eyes growing wide. “Does it have to do with the clues?”

“I don’t know,” I responded. “It doesn’t exactly work like that.”

“You’re right,” she sighed. “Sorry, that was a little insensitive of me.”

I gave her a smile to show I wasn’t angry at her and went to my bed to pack my bag. On our way out of Anubis House, Nina, Amber, Patricia, and I saw people taking down the security cameras in the hallways. Victor was sneering at the workers, watching his access to our pieces disappear in front of his eyes. I almost laughed at the sight, it was satisfying to have won the fight against the cameras after the work we’d put in. Technically, it was Amber who got rid of them, but I’m sure our peaceful protests helped.

“So, Lizzie,” Amber started once we were outside. “You never told me about that ex-boyfriend of yours.”

My gut twisted at her words. I’d purposefully avoided her during lunch yesterday so I didn’t have to explain my disastrous romantic history. I thought I was home free when she didn’t mention it at dinner or this morning, but clearly she hadn’t forgotten.

“Ex-boyfriend?” Patricia questioned.

“Lizzie’s had several apparently,” Amber explained.

“I wouldn’t say several,” I defended. “Only one of them was actually serious.”

“Cameron,” Amber said definitively.

I nodded and Amber smiled.

“Well, give us the details!” She urged.

“There aren’t many,” I said.

“And they aren’t good either,” Nina added.

We were almost at the school, and I didn’t want this conversation spreading throughout the hallways. I decided on giving Amber a few details that would keep her quiet for now before we reached the building.

“We dated for a few months,” I started with a sigh. “It was chill at first, but after about three months in he stopped talking to me.”

“What?” Patricia asked, confused. “Like completely?”

“Completely,” Nina and I answered in unison.

“And then I found out two weeks later that not only had he ghosted me but that he’d left me for his ex-girlfriend,” I finished with a frown. It felt weird to lie about how my relationship with Cameron ended, but it wasn’t something I wanted a lot of people hearing—at least right now. 

“What a sleazeball,” Patricia grimaced.

“He definitely didn’t deserve you,” Amber determined.

“You have no idea,” Nina sent me a look, knowing I’d left out a lot of details.

“It was last year,” I sighed. “I’m over it.”

We’d finally reached the school and I pushed open the doors quickly. Leaving the conversation at the doorway, we moved on from talking about my love life to Amber’s. Our talking subsided when Fabian waved us over from his locker.

“Guys, guys,” he said, shutting his locker and pulling out a book from his bag. “I woke up early this morning and went down under the stairs and I found this.” 

He opened the book and pointed to the first page. 

“H.G. Wells,  _ The Time Machine _ ?” Nina read.

“Yeah,” Fabian seemed disheartened that Nina didn’t put it together. “It’s beleathered like it said in the clue. And it’s about time travel so it could be the only place where yesterday follows tomorrow.”

“Yes,” Nina got it. “What did you find?”

“Well, nothing, yet,” Fabian admitted. “But if it’s in there, I will.”

I chuckled quietly but it didn’t go unnoticed by Nina. She elbowed me in the arm and gave me a pointed look.

“Oh,” Patricia exclaimed suddenly. “Amber wanted to see the photo of Victor-the-ever-living.”

Fabian reached into his bag to retrieve the picture then gave a glance around the hallway to make sure no teachers were around. When he saw we were in the clear he handed her the photo.

“That is  _ so _ creepy,” Amber breathed.

“It gets even creepier,” Fabian said.

“There are two or three others, all from different years,” Fabian handed her those as well. I moved around Nina so I could peer over Amber’s shoulder to see them. They all looked like the same person.

“And that same Victor is on them all,” Patricia noted.

“Do you think he’s a ghost?” Amber asked.

“Definitely not,” I said.

“What about a vampire?”

“No, Amber,” Fabian said with a laugh. “But I do think it’s confirmation of the existence of an elixir of life.”

I nodded at Fabian, seeing his point.

“Okay, so now we’ve got proof can we go tell someone?” Amber asked. “Please, this is just getting  _ too _ scary.”

“Well we do have the photos to back it up,” Nina pointed out.

“Who do we show them to?” Amber continued.

“It’s not enough proof,” Fabian resisted. “Photos can be doctored.”

“Fabian’s right,” Nina agreed. “We need to get our hands on the elixir itself.”

“That means going back down the cellar,” Amber frowned.

“If it means going into the cellar again, then that’s what we’ll do,” Fabian decided. “We’ll go back, steal some of the stuff and bring it back to get analyzed.”

“Sounds easy enough,” I joked.

“Don’t worry, I’ll do it myself,” Fabian laughed.

“No,” Nina protested without hesitance. “We stick together, I’m coming with you.”

“I’m coming, too,” Patricia nodded.

“Same here,” I joined.

We all looked to Amber, who’d remained silent.

“Sibuna, Amber?” Patricia asked, leaning toward Amber.

“C’mon,” Nina encouraged. “You started this club, you named it and everything.”

“It’d be a shame for that to go to waste,” I added.

“It’s not the same without you,” Nina finished.

Amber rolled her eyes and brought her right hand over her eye. 

“Sibuna,” she said with a smile.

* * *

Today was also Trudy’s first day back at Anubis House, so we decided to do something special for her. We all pitched in and bought her flowers and cake, though I doubt the store-bought cake was as good as hers. We met in the front hallway as a house, aside from Jerome, and went into the living room to surprise her.

“Tru-dy! Tru-dy! Tru-dy!” We chanted as we came through the doorway. 

Amber and Mara were in front, holding the flowers and the cake, with the rest of us behind them. We accompanied the chanting with clapping as we surprised Trudy when she was setting the table for dinner. She smiled widely when she saw us, her hands over her face in shock.

“For you Trudy,” Mara said as she held out the flowers. “We’re all so pleased to have you back.”

Trudy took the flowers from Mara with a tearful expression.

“Oh,” she started. “Stop it, you guys.” 

“Don’t cry,” Alfie said when Trudy sniffled. “Cook.”

Alfie nodded his head at the kitchen, giving the rest of us a good laugh.

“We reckon Victor got into some serious trouble from Sweet and Andrews for firing you,” Fabian spoke up.

“Don’t be disrespectful Fabian,” Trudy defended. “I’m sure Victor thought he was doing the right thing.”

“Time to put your feet up Trudy,” Patricia said, taking the stack of plates off of the table. “We’ll finish this, won’t we Mara?”

“Yep,” Mara said cheerfully, taking the flowers back from Trudy. 

“Alfie is going to make you a cup of tea,” Patricia added.

“Am I?” Alfie asked, not having heard this before.

“Does he have to?” Trudy questioned.

“Hey, that was just a tiny fire last time,” Alfie defended.

Amber took the opportunity to jump in and bring the box of cake to Trudy.

“And we bought you this cake Trudy,” Amber opened it for her. “It’s not as nice as yours.”

“Aw, that looks lovely sweetheart,” Trudy complimented. 

“We’ve missed you, Trudy,” I smiled back at her.

“It is good to be back,” she said, tearing up again.

While the rest of the house dispersed to the living area, Patricia and Mara stayed to set the table. I decided to help Patricia and Mara with the table settings and grabbed a pile of placemats off the table. I was in the process of putting them down when I bumped into Mara who was preoccupied with staring at Mick from across the room. Her eyes were bright and there was a large smile spread over her face.

“What’s with the weird smile?” Patricia asked, also noticing Mara’s behavior.

“Did something happen with you and Mick?” I guessed.

Mara nodded, still smiling. “I’m just a little bit on cloud nine.”

“Oh, yeah?” Patricia inquired.

“We kind of kissed,” Mara whispered, her voice higher than normal.

“Uh-oh,” Patricia said immediately.

I raised my eyebrows at her—I thought that Mara and Mick would make a cute couple, despite the fact that they didn’t have much in common.

“Are you not happy for me?” Mara questioned.

“I don’t think you’re his type,” she said, setting down the plates she’d been holding on the dining table. I was still holding the placemats, apprehensive to move now feeling the tension.

“He’s not going to date you,” Patricia continued.

“That’s a little harsh, Patricia,” I pointed out. Patricia ignored my comment and as she kept her focus on Mara, whose mouth was agape with shock.

“You’ve got nothing in common,” she said.

“Common interests don’t mean everything,” I pointed out.

“But they do mean something,” Patricia refuted. “What do you even talk about? His training program?”

Mara’s mouth closed as Patricia kept defending her argument, beginning to see where Patricia was coming from. I held my breath as Patricia carried out the rest of her point, putting the remaining placemats on the table and grabbing the back of a chair for support.

“Riveting,” Patricia said with her usual snark. “Look, don’t get me wrong, I like Mick. But he’s not exactly an intellectual challenge.”

“He’s very sweet,” Mara defended. “And kind, and he’s got a big heart—”

“I’m your friend,” Patricia interrupted. “And I don’t want this to end in tears.”

“Since when did you become such an expert in relationships?” Mara accused.

“I think it’s important that friends are honest with each other,” Patricia explained.

“You know what I think?” Mara responded, her voice getting angrier. “I think you’re just jealous.”

Patricia rolled her eyes, “Whatever.” 

She left the plates on the table as she turned and walked away from Mara and I. Mara scoffed, returning to set the table. I followed her lead, and when she finally remembered I was there she turned to me to ask a question.

“What do you think?”

I paused. “I think that you and Mick could make a great couple,” I started.

Mara smiled at me as she put another plate down.

“But I also understand Patricia’s concern about your lack of common interests,” I continued. “At the end of the day you should do what makes you happy, but I wouldn’t completely ignore what Patricia said.”

“Thanks for your help,” she frowned at me.

“For the record, I hope she’s wrong,” I tried to console her.

“Me too,” she sighed.

* * *

After lights out, we met up in the kitchen to sneak into the cellar. Patricia said little to me as we headed down through the oven door. I hoped she wasn’t angry at me, after all, I defended her concern for Mara. But that was after Patricia left, so she had no way of knowing I’d agreed with her—partially. I decided to wait it out until tomorrow to say anything, just in case her actions changed after a night of sleep. Well, whatever sleep we’d get after exploring the cellar again.

The cellar was just as creepy as it had been the first time we were down there. In between the time that Victor had fired Trudy and now, he’d returned all the old furniture to the cellar. Including the dead animals and various beakers of colorful liquids.

“Surprise, surprise,” Patricia scoffed as her flashlight wavered over the tables.

“It’s all back in place,” Nina pointed out as Fabian hit the lightswitch. “He may be creepy but he’s good.”

“Not as good as us,” I said hopefully.

“That’s the spirit,” Fabian agreed.

“Even the stuffed cat is back,” Amber grimaced.

“Right, we know why we came here,” Fabian said, keeping us on track.

We all nodded, separating into different sections of the cellar. Fabian and Nina went to the table of beakers, while Amber, Patricia and I went to a bookcase that was filled with more bottles. When we reached the bookcase the lights flickered and then went out. Amber jumped and gasped next to me at the sudden change, and I flinched in reaction.

“It’s okay,” Fabian tried to calm everyone. “Don’t worry, we have torches.”

Amber sighed loudly next to me, probably wishing she wasn’t down here in the cellar right now. I couldn’t blame her, this wasn’t my ideal Thursday night either. I tried to focus on looking for the bottle of orange liquid when a loud thud came from the other side of the cellar.

“What was that?” Amber asked.

“Nothing,” I said. “Hopefully.”

“It was nothing,” Fabian said definitively.

I heard Fabian and Nina talking as they looked at the table but paid no notice to their conversation. I picked up a small bottle of an orange liquid, thinking maybe it could be the elixir. Glancing over at Fabian I saw that he was holding a similar one, and realized that the bottle we saw Victor drink was actually the one Fabian was holding, not mine. I reached to set the bottle down carefully but when a daunting scream came from the same direction that we heard the thud come from. Nina and Fabian looked over abruptly before coming around the table towards us and the direction of the scream.

“I really hope that was another cat,” Amber said.

Amber started calling out for a cat, while the rest of us followed her lead in walking to the other side of the cellar. There was a tall cabinet in the corner that I guessed the sounds were coming from. The other members of Sibuna must’ve felt the same because all of our flashlights were pointed at it. I took two more steps before the doors to the cabinet opened slowly, revealing what definitely wasn’t a cat.

“Amber, I don’t think,” Patricia’s voice trailed off.

Patricia didn’t get the chance to finish her sentence because as she was speaking the doors to the cabinet opened fully. Inside were two figures with skull faces. Our flashlights allowed for their bones to reflect back at us, and we could clearly see the rest of their skeletal bodies from where we stood. 

Amber screamed loudly, leading the rest of us in doing the same. As we screamed the creatures stumbled out of the cabinet, and that was when we made a run for it. Quickly, we turned the corner and ran toward the entrance we came through, screaming all the way there.

* * *

The next morning I woke up late and barely had enough time to get to breakfast. The mental image of the creatures we’d seen in the cellar kept me up for a while, and the bad feeling in my stomach was progressing. So when I finally rolled out of bed at quarter past eight, I threw on my uniform as quickly as possible before heading out the door. I rushed down the stairs with my bag nearly falling off my shoulder and went immediately to the kitchen. Thankfully, Trudy had made coffee—bad coffee, but I wasn’t about to complain.

After I fixed my coffee I took a seat across from Amber at Nina’s end of the table. In between Fabian and Mick, I sipped on my coffee slowly in an effort not to burn my tongue.

“No breakfast?” Fabian noticed.

“Not hungry,” I said simply.

“Is that feeling still bothering you?” Nina asked me, remembering what I’d said yesterday.

“It’s worse today,” I sighed. “I don’t know why.”

“It’s probably nothing,” Nina said with little confidence, the worry evident in her eyes.

I nodded at her, hoping that she was right. As breakfast continued Jerome and Alfie finally made their appearance, looking extra cheerful this morning.

“Good morning, good morning,” Alfie practically sang as he came up to the table. “I trust everyone slept well last night?”

“What’s it to you?” Patricia said snarkily, 

“I just care,” Alfie responded, stealing a piece of toast from Patricia’s plate. “Sleep is an essential part of life.”

Jerome had followed Alfie’s lead and set his bag down next to Amber before walking around the table to where the food was.

“So tell me,” he started. “Did anyone hear that cat last night? It sounded like a combination of a very old goat and a screaming baby.”

“That wasn’t a cat,” Amber said instantly. “It was me, and you’d scream too if you were cornered by a pair of zombies.”

“Amber,” Nina, Fabian and I all whispered to her.

“Sorry,” Amber realized, eyes wide.

“And once again we enter the strange, unpredictable world that is: Amber’s mind,” Jerome mocked.

“Jerome, you must have heard the rumors about what’s down in the cellar,” Alfie’s voice grew deeper as he said it. 

“Yes I have,” Jerome responded. “Two teachers who were buried alive.”

I rolled my eyes at their antics. What we’d seen in the cellar wasn’t actually a pair of zombies but instead was Anubis House’s resident pranksters.

“You can hear their stomachs rumbling,” Alfie ran over to where Amber was sitting and said the last part of his story in her face to scare her. “And at night they come out and eat your brains!”

“Alfie!” Amber yelled, making Alfie and Jerome laugh.

“We found our zombies,” Fabian said from beside me,

“I wish I could say I was surprised,” I noted to Fabian.

“You pig,” Amber continued. “I’ve never been so scared in my whole life. Except for that time when my dad froze my allowance.”

I was laughing at Amber’s seriousness when Jerome leaned next to her with his zombie mask on. He screamed loudly in her ear, causing her only to roll her eyes and look away. She didn’t want anything to do with them mocking her, and I completely agreed. Jerome let out a laugh as he high fived Alfie next to him.

“You think you’re really funny, don’t you?” Patricia asked them. “Well, you’re not.”

“Lighten up, it was a joke,” Jerome said while taking his seat. “And what were you doing down there anyway?”

Nina, Patricia, and Fabian immediately put their heads down, ignoring Jerome’s question. They weren’t exactly subtle about wanting to keep everything a secret. I took a sip of my coffee, trying to act as nonchalant as possible.

“Oh,” Jerome exclaimed. “Haven’t they gone quiet all of a sudden.”

His words were lighthearted but his tone revealed just a hint of bitterness that reminded me of our conversation. He scanned the rest of Sibuna before landing on me.

“Well, everyone has their secrets,” he said with his gaze still locked on mine.

I cleared my throat, not responding to his statement and keeping focused on my coffee. I wasn’t ignorant to the fact that he’d said the exact same thing to me only a day ago, and neither was he apparently. Nina had noticed the exchange, and something in her eyes told me she was going to ask me about it later. 

Mara bounced into the room, breaking the tension in the room with her elated walk. She took her seat on the other side of Amber but was looking at Mick from the moment she walked in the room.

“Morning Mick,” she said, before realizing how odd that was. “And others.”

Amber gave her a weird look, and then shared that look with me. I shrugged, not wanting to reveal to Amber that Mick and Mara had kissed. Honestly, I’d forgotten Mick was sitting at the table with us until Mara walked in. 

“Hi Mara,” Mick said flatly between spoonfuls of cereal, not even looking up at her.

Patricia and I shared a glance, both seeing how Mick completely brushed off Mara. I was disappointed in Mick, I thought he’d be better, but his actions were only proving Patricia right.

Back in our room after breakfast, Sibuna was having a meeting about what to do with the elixir Fabian took from the cellar.

“I really thought they were Victor-related-zombies,” Nina said while grabbing her textbooks from her desk.

“Me too,” Amber agreed.

“Part of his,” Nina’s voice trailed off.

“Experiments?” I finished, Nina nodding at me. “Me too.”

“Or family members,” Patricia brought up.

“I never really thought they were zombies,” Fabian mumbled, giving the rest of us a good laugh. 

“Yeah right,” Patricia chuckled. “You were screaming louder than us.”

Fabian ignored Patricia’s comment as he pulled the bottle of elixir out of his bag. He came back over to Amber’s side of the room, where we were all seated either on her bed or at her desk. 

“We still need to get the elixir analyzed,” Fabian pointed out. 

“I say we give it to the police,” Amber said. “And the photos, and the recordings.”

“We can’t, they’re in it with Victor and his spooky friends,” Patricia reminded.

“We need to hide it,” Fabian concluded.

“Hide it where?” I ask. “In plain sight?”

“Oh,” Patricia gasped. “I know.”

She reached into her own bag and pulled out an orange plastic water bottle. Holding it up, she drank whatever was left inside before gesturing for the elixir from Fabian. Fabian gave it to her reluctantly, but after she shot him an impatient look he relented. She popped off the cork with ease and poured its contents into the now-empty-water-bottle. 

“In plain sight,” she said, putting it back into her bag.

We all shared a collective hopeful glance, wanting to keep the elixir out of Victor’s hands at all costs.

* * *

After school, that day Nina and I went to go visit Sarah in the old person’s home. After our Sibuna meeting this morning we’d come up with a few questions to ask her if she was lucid that is. It was always hit or miss when visiting her, sometimes the information was helpful, other times it was nonsensical. As we left school and into the chilly evening air I was hoping for the former, as I assumed Nina was as well.

“Can I ask you something?” She asked me.

“Sure,” I responded.

“What happened at breakfast this morning?” She asked. 

I gave her a confused look.

“Between you and Jerome?” She eyed me suspiciously. “Did you tell him anything?”

“Of course not,” I scoffed. “What makes you think that?”

“That look you gave each other before Mara came in,” she continued. “He said that thing about everyone having secrets.”

“So? It was nothing,” I assured her. “I promise, I haven’t told him anything.”

Her mouth opened as if she was about to say something before I cut her off.

“And I don’t plan to,” I said confidently.

Nina sighed gratefully, “Okay good, we don’t need him involved too.”

“That would be a disaster,” I laughed. 

Nina joined my laughter as we arrived at the old person’s home. The lady behind the front desk recognized us and gave us the okay to go straight to Sarah’s room. When we walked in Sarah was sitting at a small table in the corner of her room, reading a book. She looked awake and lucid, which was good for us. There was a tea set on the table already, but none of the teacups were filled yet.

Sarah smiled when she saw us, and we joined her at the table before making small talk about our days. She remembered my name, too, which is strange to me. Normally it was mostly Nina that she talked to, but today she seemed to be paying extra attention to me. Maybe it was the hair. 

“So, Sarah,” Nina started, pouring tea into each of our cups. “Did your mom and dad ever talk to you about an elixir?”

Sarah squinted at Nina as she spoke, focusing hard on listening to her.

“Not just any elixir—like the kind you buy at a health food store or something,” Nina continued. “The kind that gives you eternal life.”

“I don’t want to live forever,” Sarah said harshly.

“Right,” Nina responded calmly. “But do you know people who do?”

The bad feeling in my stomach that had been dormant since breakfast resurfaced and I started to get worried.

“Nina,” I gave her a concerned look. “I don’t think this is a good time.”

Nina’s gaze left Sarah and came to mine, confused. Before she said anything, Sarah leaned forward in her chair and started to talk.

“I had a visitor the other day,” she began, capturing our focus again. “Oh, what was his name?”

Nina and I shared a curious glance. Who else was visiting Sarah?

“Rufus?” I guessed. 

Sarah’s face lit up when I said his name.

“That’s it,” she smiled. “Rufus.”

“How do you know Rufus, Sarah?” Nina asked delicately.

“Oh we used to play together when we were small,” she explained.

I shook my head, remembering that Sarah was way older than Rufus.

“I think you’re getting confused,” Nina said. “Rufus is much younger than you.”

“He was such a sweet boy,” Sarah tilted her head. “He and my sister always used to play together.”

“You had a sister?” I asked, surprised.

“Anna,” she said softly. “She and Rufus were best friends.”

Nina and I exchanged another confused glance. Nina dropped it quickly however and reached into her bag for the picture of Victor.

“Sarah, do you recognize this man?” Nina set the photo on the table in front of Sarah.

“Oh, it’s him,” Sarah gasped. “Oh, no, no, no.”

Sarah’s anxiety intensified and Nina took the picture out of her view, just in case,

“He means to do it, child,” Sarah’s voice rose as she looked Nina in the eyes. “He wants to tip the scales of life.”

“It’s okay Sarah,” I tried my best to calm her down.

“I’m sorry,” Nina said to her.

Sarah sat there, shaking her head quickly. 

“He’s the one,” she said, “He killed them, now he wants to stay forever. But you must stop him.”

By the time Nina and I had realized what she said, Sarah was staring at the wall behind me and rocking in her chair. She was mumbling a lullaby, not lucid anymore.

“Hush little baby, don’t say a word,” she sang softly. “Daddy’s going to buy you a big blackbird.”

I gulped, trying to digest the new information that Sarah had given us. Victor wants to “tip the scales of life,” Sarah and Rufus were friends, and Sarah had a sister? Why had Sarah never mentioned Anna before? Nina appeared to be just as confused as I was, and we slowly gathered our things and said our goodbyes. Sarah was still rocking back and forth, singing the lullaby when we left.


	13. House of Identity / House of Emergency

Nina and I filled in the rest of Sibuna about our visit with Sarah, and they were equally surprised to hear that Sarah had a sister. We came to the conclusion that she didn’t actually have a sister, as she wasn’t in any photographs they’d found or the paintings in the living room. It didn’t make any sense. I figured maybe Rufus had a sister, and that’s the one Sarah was thinking of. She was getting old after all and got confused easily.

In English class that morning, Mara came in late with her hair straightened and dark makeup on her eyes. Needless to say, we were all shocked, but especially Mick. He tried talking to her in class but she blatantly ignored him. Clearly, something was up with her, and she seemed to have forgiven Patricia for what happened yesterday. 

The shock value of Mara’s new look had worn off by the time we were in drama class, rehearsing for the play. Fabian and Jerome were on stage reading off of their scripts, while the rest of us sat in the lounge chairs and followed along. I struggled to keep my eyes open, feeling tired from listening to Fabian’s lackluster acting skills. It didn’t help that Nina’s script needed a bit of work, but the rest of the students seemed to notice this as well.

“Tutankhamen’s burial chamber lies just through there,” Fabian said, pointing a lantern at the other end of the stage.

“I wonder what artifacts we will discover within,” Jerome said as they crossed the stage.

“They enter the tomb,” I read the stage directions from the lounge.

Jerome and Fabian stood on the stage, dully reading the script before pausing and laughing. I almost laughed as well, considering how ridiculous they looked, but refrained because Nina was sitting beside me.

“Guys,” Mr. Winkler gestured for them to hold. “Remember what we said everyone, constructive criticism. So, let’s hear what you like about these first few scenes.”

“Rough scenes,” Nina corrected. “Really rough scenes.”

“Well, actually it’s a really accurate account of how Howard Carter’s first team broke into Tutankhamen’s burial chamber,” Fabian said.

“Yeah, but it’s a bit boring,” Amber said bluntly before Nina glanced at her. “Sorry Neens.” 

Patricia and I nodded before Alfie spoke up.

“Shouldn’t someone kiss someone, or kill someone, or something,” his voice trailed off.

“Okay, how can we help Nina?” Mr. Winkler asked, ignoring Alfie’s comment. “Ideas anyone?”

“Girls in bikinis,” Jerome said quickly.

“Right,” Mr. Winkler squinted at him. “I’m just gonna put that down as a general wardrobe note. Alfie, I think you said you wanted to see more action?” He shifted the conversation.

“And more of the stuff that Sarah told us,” Amber told Mr. Winkler.

Nina, Patricia, Fabian and I all looked to Amber immediately. Nina hit her on the arm softly, her mouth opened wide. Patricia was giving her the evil eye, while Fabian and I were cautious she was about to start speaking again.

“Who’s Sarah?” Mr. Winkler asked.

“Oh, she’s—” Amber was cut off by Fabian’s voice.

“She’s a woman who works part-time at the museum,” he interrupted. Amber glanced back at him with a confused look, apparently not aware of why we couldn’t talk about Sarah.

“Yeah, Sarah, from the museum,” Nina joined eagerly. “She’s a research assistant, and, uh, a tour guide. Red hair, a Gemini I think?”

“Gemini?” Fabian and I whispered at her. We didn’t have time to dwell on it but in hindsight, it was rather creepy that Fabian and I were beginning to speak in unison as well.

“Okay,” Mr. Winkler said. “What sort of stuff are we talking about here?”

“Just like plagues of locust and stuff like that,” Fabian answered.

“You know, the normal stuff,” I said under my breath. But it didn’t go unnoticed by Jerome, who looked over at me from beside Fabian with a nearly-there-smile. 

“Nina, why don’t you go back to the museum and talk to this Sarah woman again?” Mr. Winkler continued.

“Yeah, sure, Sarah from the museum,” Nina leaned to Amber and emphasized the last part of her sentence in Amber’s face.

“I’m also going to need someone to help with the costumes backstage. I won’t make the final decisions on anything until after casting, but if you’d like to volunteer come speak to me after class.”

My head lifted when Mr. Winkler mentioned the costume role. I’d been in a few acting summer camps during elementary school and hated the acting part. The idea of acting was never something I liked, but Nina was going to acting camp, which meant I went too. Mr. Winkler introducing costume role felt like a sign. So, at the end of class, I went up to Mr. Winkler quickly.

“Hey Mr. Winkler,” I started.

“Hey Lizzie, How can I help you?” he greeted.

“I wanted to let you know that I’m interested in the costume position,” I said.

“Awesome,” he smiled. “I’ll let you know when we’re done with casting, okay?”

I nodded to Mr. Winkler before hurrying out to the hallway to meet up with the rest of Sibuna in front of Patricia’s locker.

“Amber, I don’t know what goes on inside your head,” I heard Patricia say when I reached them.

“What did I do this time?” Amber asked innocently. “I thought we’d agreed we were going to use Sarah’s story to get a reaction out of Victor.”

“We are,” Nina answered. “But we don’t want people to know she’s still alive.”

“And living a mile down the road from here,” I added.

“Especially people who might be suspected murderers,” Nina finished, referring to Victor.

“Oh, sorry,” Amber said with a high pitched voice. “I’ll do better.”

“It’s okay Amber,” Fabian told her. “And you’re kind of right, we do need more of Sarah’s stuff in the play. We just can’t be too obvious about it.”

“Well I think we have more pressing issues to sort out than the school play,” Patricia pointed out.

“The riddle,” Fabian remembered. “I haven’t been to the library yet.”

“I was thinking about the elixir,” Patricia clarified.

“Yeah I’ve been thinking about that too,” Nina agreed.

“And yet we have no answers,” Amber said. “Maybe I’m going to have to start thinking also.” 

“That might be helpful,” I nodded at her.

The rest of Sibuna laughed as well before we continued with our classes for today.

* * *

Dinner that night was awkward. I sat between Mara and Jerome, and across from us was Mick who was staring at Mara for most of the meal. She ignored him, and I wanted to ask what it was about, but I’m sure it had something to do with her sudden change in appearance.  Alfie was missing from dinner, and Jerome seemed on edge the whole meal. He flinched anytime someone mentioned Victor’s name. I was curious but didn’t want to pry. 

Later that evening, after lights out, Nina, Amber and I were in our bedroom trying to finish our homework. This was the only night we’d had recently where we weren’t sneaking into the cellar, so we wanted to get ahead on our work. Well, Nina and I were doing homework, Amber was doing a face mask. She’d managed to convince me into doing one as well, so while I was trying to learn french I was being constantly distracted by the mask drying on my face. 

Amber was in the middle of convincing Nina to do one as well when she got a text from Fabian. I knew it was Fabian because whenever he texted she got this goofy smile on her face. This time, however, her goofy smile turned to a frown the more she looked at the screen.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Fabian just texted me,” she paused. “He needs to go down to the cellar.”

“Right now?” I asked. “It’s after midnight.”

Nina only nodded at me before she began putting on her shoes.

“Jerome says that Alfie’s stuck down there,” she said. “I don’t know if I trust him, though.”

“So you’re going down to the cellar anyway?” 

“Fabian thinks Jerome’s telling the truth,” she explained. 

“I’ll come with you,” I offered, knowing she didn’t like sneaking around by herself.

Nina gave me a grateful smile as she grabbed out flashlights. I put on a pair of sneakers and a sweater before heading to the door.

“Where are you guys going?” Amber asked us as we reached for the doorknob.

“To the cellar,” I told her. “Alfie’s stuck down there.”

Her face scrunched. “I won’t be joining you.”

“I guessed as much,” I laughed.

“Make sure you’re back in fifteen to wash off the mask,” she said to me as Nina and I opened the door.

Nina and I tiptoed our way through the hallway and down the staircase without being noticed by Victor—who was sleeping at his desk in his office. Jerome and Fabian were already waiting outside of Fabian’s room by the time we got downstairs.

“What is on your face?” Jerome asked me. He was wearing a headlamp around his forehead that blinded me as we walked up to them.

“Amber made me do a face mask,” I explained, blinking away the light from Jerome’s headlamp. “It’s supposed to minimize my pores.”

“What does that even mean?” Fabian questioned.

“I honestly don’t know,” I shrugged. “I just got tired of fighting her.”

Fabian nodded, knowing how Amber could be.

“As fun as this conversation is, Alfie is still down in the cellar,” Jerome reminded us.

“Right,” Fabian turned to Nina. “Do you have the locket?”

“Always,” she said, holding it up.

“Why do you need the locket?” Jerome asked as we turned to go into the kitchen.

“To get into the cellar,” I explained.

“But how?” He continued.

“Watch,” I pointed to my sister. 

Nina was on the floor in front of the oven door, her necklace in hand. She held it up to the indent and the oven door easily opened to reveal and path down to the cellar. Looking over at Jerome, I could see his eyebrows raised with surprise.

“Didn’t know it did that,” he said.

“It’s okay, most people don’t,” I responded.

“Okay, let’s just hurry and get this over with,” Nina said. “I don’t want to spend a lot of time down there if I don’t want to.”

“Agreed,” I said.

One by one we entered the oven and crawled through. Fabian went first, followed by Jerome and then Nina and I. When we got down there, Jerome started calling for Alfie. Nina, Fabian and I used our flashlights to scan the basement in hopes of finding him. Jerome checked the cabinet where they’d scared us two days ago, first. 

The bad feeling I’d gotten in my stomach from yesterday returned, despite it being gone for the entire day. I’d been able to eat breakfast this morning, which felt like an accomplishment. But the anxiety brewing in my stomach diminished that completely. 

“Alfie,” I whispered, trying to get him to respond.

“He’s not here,” Fabian realized after we looked for another few minutes. “If you’re messing around Jerome, I swear—”

“I’m not—” Jerome started but was interrupted by a loud bump from the corner of the basement.

“What was that?” Nina and I asked in unison.

We all aimed our flashlights at where the noise came from. There was a wide cabinet against the wall with scattered empty bottles laid across the top.

“In the cupboard,” Jerome said. “Open the cupboard.”

He motioned for one of us to do it, namely Fabian. Fabian looked at the cupboard then back at Jerome before shaking his head.

“No, you open the cupboard,” he said. 

I rolled my eyes. 

“I’ll open the cupboard,” I said from beside Jerome, my impatience and anxiety taking over.

“Be careful,” Nina said to me as I took a step forward.

I nodded at her, not really listening. I reached for the knob and pulled it open quickly, revealing a terrified Alfie. His eyes were wide and he was huddled inside himself. He was still wearing his zombie costume and had his mask clutched in his hands.

“Alfie,” Jerome exclaimed, coming up beside me to see him.

“Take it easy,” Jerome said to Alfie, his hand on his shoulder. “Look, it’s me, Jerome.”

“We need to get him out of here,” Fabian said from behind me.

Fabian handed Nina his flashlight as he came toward the cupboard. I moved to where Nina was standing, not knowing how to help. Jerome and Fabian lifted Alfie out of the cupboard and onto his feet, carrying him towards the door of the cellar. I shut the cupboard doors as Nina ran to open the oven door. We made it out of the cellar safely, after having to drag Alfie through the small doorway and then carrying him to his room.

When Alfie was finally tucked in bed and asleep, I finally was able to relax—all of us were. When he was settled I went to the boys’ bathroom to wash off the stupid face mask, it was beginning to burn. I returned shortly when Nina and Fabian were on their way out. I saw Fabian head upstairs with Nina, and I figured I’d give them some alone time to say goodnight, so I went back inside Jerome and Alfie’s room.

Jerome was sitting on the edge of his bed, watching Alfie sleep peacefully. I shut the door softly behind me before I walked across the room. As I joined him on his bed, I eyed Alfie as well. Jerome barely paid notice to me as I settled beside him.

“I’m glad that he’s safe,” I said quietly.

I turned to him as I spoke, only to find him already looking at me.

“Me too,” he nodded.

“How long have you two been friends?” I asked.

“We met when we were eleven,” he paused. “He’s been at my side since.”

“You started boarding school when you were eleven?” I questioned. “That seems young.”

“I was five when my parents dropped me off here,” he said after a moment, his eyes focused on the ground in front of him.

“That sounds lonely,” I whispered.

“It was until I met Alfie,” he looked back to Alfie in his bed.

I nodded, following Jerome’s gaze and giving sleeping Alfie another glance. 

“He’s gonna be okay,” I said. “He probably just needs a night of sleep. He’ll be fine after some pancakes tomorrow.”

“I really hope you’re right,” Jerome said, turning to look me in the eye as he spoke.

I held his gaze as the silence grew between us. Jerome looked different sitting in his bed at nearly one in the morning. He wasn’t his usual composed self—the one who would pull pranks on anyone he saw fit, whenever the opportunity comes about. His hair was sticking out in several directions, not combed and styled. His eyes were filled with concern for Alfie, rather than configuring a plan for a practical joke. He looked tired, too, but I didn’t know whether that was from the time or the worry for Alfie. There was a hint of something else hiding in his eyes, not just tired and worried, something more than that. I couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was, and as much as I wanted to figure it out, I tore my eyes away from his.

“I should probably head back upstairs,” I cleared my throat. “I’m sure I gave Nina and Fabian enough time to say their goodbyes.”

A smile tugged at Jerome’s lips and he rolled back his shoulders—almost as if waking up out of a trance. 

“You should get some sleep,” I suggested almost playfully.

“I should say the same to you,” he responded. “Your scooby gang sneaks around more than Alfie and I do.”

“Scooby gang?” I asked with a laugh. “That’s good, I like that.”

I chuckled at his nickname for Sibuna. He wasn’t that far off, really.

“Came up with it myself,” he matched my laughter.

I peer over his shoulder and caught the time on his alarm clock. It was past one in the morning—I should’ve been asleep by now.

“I should go,” I said, suddenly becoming embarrassed. “Let me know if he’s okay in the morning. Goodnight, Jerome.”

Jerome nodded at me, and I felt his stare as I went to open the door. 

“‘Night, Elizabeth,” he said loud enough for me to hear as I shut the door behind me.

* * *

The next morning we told Patricia and Amber about what happened with Alfie last night. Patricia had a lot of questions, naturally, but none that we could answer. Fabian hadn’t heard anything from Jerome all morning, and neither had I. I took that as a sign that Alfie was doing fine, just like he should be. As much as I wanted Alfie to be okay, I also  _ needed _ him to. The pit in my stomach that I felt last night had returned fast and hard this morning. I went down to breakfast with everyone to help tell Patricia and Amber what happened, and for the coffee.

Mara was at the table as well, in her new grunge attire and headphones in her ears. Mick joined us momentarily, only to find out that his laundry had shrunk and was also now pink. I saw Mara snicker at the sight, and figured that she probably had something to do with it.

I didn’t voice anything as I turned back to my coffee, and a minute later I saw Jerome enter the dining room out of the corner of my eye. He had bags under his eyes, and his hair was disheveled. He was worse than I’d seen him last night. His eyes met mine when we walked in before rotating through the rest of the table who’d now noticed his presence.

“Lizzie,” he said curtly. “I could do with some help.”

I was surprised to hear him call me by my nickname, as opposed to Elizabeth. It sounded weird coming from him, but I didn’t have time to dwell on that when I realized what he was talking about.

“Alfie,” I breathed, signaling the rest of Sibuna to follow as I got up and left the dining room with Jerome.

When we walked in, Alfie was laying in bed, shaking and sweating. He was still wearing his zombie costume, but I’m sure that’s not the only reason he was sweating profusely. His eyes were crazed and he wasn’t focused on any particular thing, just staring absently.

“What happened?” I asked. “He was fine when I left last night.”

“He’s been like this since I woke up this morning,” Jerome explained.

“Is he alright?” Patricia asked from beside me.

“He still hasn’t said anything,” Jerome continued.

“He’s catatonic,” Nina noted. “What do you think he saw down there?”

“Victor stuffing cats?” Amber offered.

“Not the time, Amber,” I said, still watching Alfie.

Fabian went over to kneel beside the bed, trying to talk to Alfie. Alfie flinched when he saw Fabian approach him.

“No, no, no,” Fabian said softly. “You really need to snap out of this, it’s time to go to school.”

“He won’t wake up if you try it that way,” Patricia noted.

“Hey, Alfie, there are pancakes in the kitchen,” Fabian said enthusiastically.

That was a better approach, but Alfie was still shaking and looking off into the distance. His lack of reaction only made the situation worse, something had to be seriously wrong for Alfie to miss out on pancakes.

Nina moved around me and went to the other side of the bed.

“Alfie,” she gently touched his shoulder, but he flinched away from her. “What scared you, what did you see down there?”

We all leaned forward when Alfie took a deep and jagged breath, beginning to speak.

“I saw, uh, I saw,” Alfie tried to speak but he couldn’t get a sentence out without accelerated breathing. He started to panic, and in reaction, the feeling in my stomach rose to my throat. I tried to ignore it and focus on Alfie, but it was hard to do so when my throat felt like it was closing in on itself.

“Get him some water now,” Fabian said when Alfie’s breathing got worse. 

“And a paper bag, they always do that in the movies,” Nina said.

Jerome was trying to snap Alfie out of it by yelling his name while Patricia ran out of the room to get water from the kitchen. Nina decided she couldn’t wait and reached for the water bottle in Patricia’s bag and handed it to Alfie. He grabbed hold of it and took several large sips as if he hadn’t had water in days. After the first few, he threw the bottle away from him and started to gag. It was then that I remembered what was in the water bottle.

“Did you give him that?” Patricia asked when she came back with a glass of water in her hand.

“Why was it still in your bag?” Nina whispered.

“Oh my god,” I breathed as Alfie’s eyes shuttered closed as he stopped shaking.

Nina ran to get help, and the next thing we knew Alfie was being carried away on a stretcher. He was still unconscious, but the EMT’s said that he didn’t show any bag vital signs at the moment. It was a relief, albeit a small one. We all watched from the front hallway as Alfie was wheeled away by the doctors, Trudy following closely behind him.

“I’m going to go in the ambulance with him,” Trudy said to Victor who was holding the door.

“I’ll call his parents,” Victor responded.

“Is he going to be okay?” Amber asked as Trudy turned to leave.

“They think so, sweetie,” Trudy said softly. “But they did ask if he’d taken anything.”

“Like what?” Victor asked, now scanning us suspiciously.

“I don’t know, they just said something,” Trudy explained.

I looked to my sister, hoping that she’d step up and give the water bottle to Trudy. I knew it was our only shot and viable evidence for Victor’s elixir, but Alfie’s life was in danger now. 

“He,” Nina paused, but when we made eye contact I urged her to continue. “He took a sip of this just before he collapsed.”

Nina handed the bottle to Trudy remorsefully, who took it upon herself to sniff the top of it.

“That doesn’t smell too good,” she grimaced. “I’ll take that with me.”

Trudy left to catch up with the stretcher, and Victor locked the door behind her. From the other side of the front hallway, I saw Jerome giving my sister a hard glance. I stepped in front of her slightly, so that I blocked their interaction. Nina already felt bad enough, she didn’t need Jerome breathing down her neck. When I did this, Jerome’s stare landed on me, and his jaw set. I mirrored his look for only a moment before Victor took the attention of the room again.

“No one is to leave this house until I find out exactly what happened,” Victor pointed his key at each of us with a menacing stare.

He instructed us to wait in the living room as he pulled us individually to interview us. Fabian went first, so I sat with Nina to try and calm her down. Jerome was in the chair next to us, glaring into the coffee table. Nina was worried, and I was too. She was terrible at lying, so if Victor asked what was in the bottle she’d have to try and make it seem natural. 

Amber, Mick, and Mara all went before Victor finally called Nina’s name. I gave her hand a quick squeeze as she got up in an effort to give her some comfort—or transfer my lying skills. When she was gone, I turned back to Jerome only to find him in the same position he’d been in this whole time. I leaned over from where I sat on the couch and touched his arm gently.

“Jerome?” I asked.

He didn’t avert his eyes from the coffee table, but he sat forward. He slowly moved his arm so that it was in his lap, leaving my hand to hit the arm of his chair.

“What was in the bottle?” He whispered to me, finally looking up to meet my face.

“I don’t know,” I told him. It was only half of a lie, technically. We knew it was the elixir, but we didn’t know what it was made of.

“I don’t believe you,” he studied my face. “Nina wouldn’t have looked so guilty if it wasn’t something bad.”

I sighed, folding my arms in my lap.

“We don’t know what it is,” I said to him, hoping that the ‘we’ would get him to drop the details. “And the less you know, the better.”

“Right,” he said bitterly. “The Scooby gang keeps their secrets to themselves.”

“They wouldn’t be secrets otherwise,” I pointed out to him.

Jerome’s face transitioned from bitter to stony as he digested my words. I noted the same quality to his expression as the one he’d had the night before like there was something else he was thinking about or wanted to say. Again, he didn’t, because Nina came back shortly after and told me it was my turn to be questioned. I tossed Jerome a gentle smile, which he didn’t return, and headed upstairs.

My conversation with Victor went as expected. I told him that Jerome pulled us into the room because Alfie was acting weird. That he took a sip from the water bottle and then went unconscious. That I didn’t know what was in the bottle when really I did. Victor snarled at me when I couldn’t answer any of his questions and sent me on my way. 

Back in our room after the questionings, Nina was rummaging through her bag when Patricia and Fabian walked in. We’d come in to get our bags since Victor was letting us go to classes now that the interrogations were over.

“Why did you give him the elixir?” Patricia practically yelled. “Now we’ve lost our proof.”

“Not necessarily,” Nina pulled out a second, smaller, bottle of the elixir from her bag. “I kept a little bit of it in here.”

“You do love a good backup plan,” I noted.

“Why didn’t you say?” Patricia asked, much calmer now.

“I’m just,” she paused. “Wondering if we should get rid of all of it. It’s nothing but bad.”

“No way,” Patricia protested, taking the bottle from Nina’s grasp.

“But it’s already put our friend in the hospital,” Nina argued.

“I’ll hide it somewhere better this time, okay?” Patricia told us.

“As long as it’s hidden, I think it’s a good idea to keep it,” I voiced. 

Fabian nodded at me, but Nina dropped her head in her hands and sighed loudly.

“I’m just not sure of any of this anymore,” she said. “It’s all too much.”

She stood quickly from the bed, pushing Fabian aside and leaving the room. I debated following her but ultimately decided against it knowing that she needed a moment to herself.

Back at school, now that we were allowed to be there, Amber and I were standing at her locker talking about Alfie while Patricia went to hide the elixir. 

“I just don’t want him to die not knowing how I feel about him,” Amber said dramatically.

“He’s not going to die,” I reminded her. “If anything, the elixir would have extended his life, not shortened it.”

“I guess you’re right,” she sighed. “But what if he does die?”

I rolled my eyes at her antics.

“Amber, he’ll live,” I told her bluntly.

Patricia came back from the bathroom looking annoyed but smirked when she saw Amber’s tearful expression.

“Crying about Alfie again?” She asked.

“Hasn’t stopped,” I answered.

“It’s not funny,” Amber protested. “He could die.”

“But he won’t,” I corrected hopefully.

Amber sighed, finally giving up as the three of us made our way to our next class. Walking into the french classroom we saw that only Nina and Fabian were there, and my sister looked very distressed. She had a notepad in front of her with lots of crossed-out words, I could only assume it was the script for the school play. Working on the play on top of what was happening with Alfie must be stressful, especially when Nina feels responsible for both.

Nina had her back turned to us as she was putting on her jacket. Fabian paid no notice to us as we stood near them, only keeping his focus on my sister.

“So, Captain Nina,” Patricia started. “Fabian still hasn’t solved the riddle, I still can’t get hold of Rufus, and Alfie’s still in the hospital.”

“Am I picking up on some weird romantic tension in here?” Amber asked when Nina didn’t respond.

“Guys,” Nina said as she turned around, wiping at her eyes. “I can’t do this anymore.”

She took off her necklace and held it out to Fabian, who looked nearly heartbroken.

“Sibuna,” she said, handing him the eye of Horus. “I’m out.”

“What?” I asked, surprised by her actions.

She ignored me as she packed up her things and walked out of the classroom. The rest of us looked at each other, before turning to me as if waiting for me to do something. But I didn’t know what to do any more than they did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked the chapter :) Feel free to tell me what you liked most (or the least) about this chapter in the comments, it's always great to get feedback. Thanks so much for reading <3


	14. House of Reunion / House of Memories

I tried to get Nina to talk to me about why she quit Sibuna, but she wouldn’t budge. She was certain that it was her fault Alfie was in the hospital, and she wanted nothing to do with Sibuna anymore. The rest of Sibuna was equally as confused as I was, this wasn’t like Nina to give up when things get hard. And things got even harder when she left. It’d been two days since Nina quit, and we hadn’t made any progress on the clue. We were distracted, if not by my sister than by the situation with Alfie. 

At breakfast, Victor announced that two people could go visit Alfie in the hospital today. Of course, Jerome was one of them, but now Amber and Patricia were arguing about which one of them should get to go. Nina was sitting on her bed, reading a magazine, and trying not to listen. I would’ve suggested we had the conversation elsewhere, but Nina didn’t seem to mind with her head buried in Amber’s pony magazine. Fabian was pacing the room, trying to figure out the clue.

“The only place where yesterday follows tomorrow,” he mumbled.

“What if it’s not a book?” I offered, speaking over the sound of Amber and Patricia’s squabbles.

“Nina, who do you think should go?” Amber interrupted.

“Guys, I’m out, remember?” Nina answered. “Besides, I’m busy reading ‘Pink Pony Parade.’”

“Alfie needs someone to cheer him up, not to shout at him,” Amber continued after Nina didn’t offer any advice.

I rolled my eyes and tried to focus on the clue. Fabian was still pacing throughout the room, no doubt trying to work overtime to compensate for Nina’s departure.

“That’s why I wore this lip gloss.” Amber pointed to her shiny lips.

“Who’s gonna be shouting?” Patricia refuted, her voice echoing through the room.

Amber gave a pointed look at her.

“I won’t be shouting, Amber,” Patricia said in a lower voice. “Just asking him a few questions is all.” 

“Maybe Lizzie should go” Fabian interrupted, taking a break from pacing to aid their argument.

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“Why would Lizzie go?” Amber’s brows scrunched in confusion. “I’m the one Alfie’s in love with.”

“And I’ve known them longer,” Patricia noted.

“Lizzie wouldn’t shout at Alfie as she asks him questions,” Fabian pointed out. “Right?”

“Right,” I confirmed. “Because I’m not going.”

“See,” Amber exclaimed. “Even Lizzie thinks I should go.”

“No,” I halted Amber’s excitement. “I agree with Fabian that neither of you should go, but I have to be at rehearsal today.”

After casting the play yesterday, Mr. Winkler informed me that I would be working on costumes for the show. I was relieved, to say the least, that I wouldn’t be acting.

“I think it should be Patricia,” I stated coolly.

“Yes!” Patricia clapped before turning to Amber. “I won’t shout it’ll just be a small interrogation.”

“Stop trying to confuse me with your big words,” Amber accused.

“It’s in the dictionary, Amber, it’s not fancy,” Patricia laughed.

“The dictionary,” Nina mumbled before gasping loudly. “Of course!” 

She leaned over to the shelf on the wall and snagged her dictionary. Fabian walked toward her bed, the realization slowly showing on his face.

“What?” I asked eagerly.

Nina flipped open to a page and handed it to Fabian.

“The only place where yesterday always follows tomorrow,” he realized.

Fabian tossed the dictionary in my lap before scooping up my sister into a large hug.

“You genius, genius, girl,” he said as he spun her around the room.

Amber, Patricia, and I all shared a surprised glance as we watched Fabian twirl Nina in circles. After being stuck on this clue for so long, we were all grateful to have solved part of it. Fabian and my sister continued to laugh even as he set her on the ground, but quickly after that Nina’s smile faded.

“Okay, so that happened.” She took a seat on her bed, frowning. “But I’m still out guys.”

“You’re kidding, right?” I asked her.

Nina ignored me as she returned to her pony magazine. I rolled my eyes, Nina and Fabian’s display of excitement was the most alive I’d seen her since we arrived in England. I could tell she missed Sibuna, even if she didn’t want to admit it. 

“So the clue means your dictionary?” Amber asked.

“Not my dictionary, a leather-bound clasped dictionary,” Nina clarified.

“Do you wanna help me look for it, Nina?” Fabian asked with a smile.

“I have to finish this article.” She glanced down at the magazine. “On winter pony grooming.”

Fabian and I shared a look of disbelief. He reached into his pocket and pulled out Nina’s necklace, holding it out to her.

“Sarah gave this to you,” he pointed out. “Not me, or Lizzie, or anyone else.”

Nina remained neutral for a moment, but I could see the yearning in her eyes. She sighed, coming to Fabian in the center of the room. She let herself smile as she took the necklace back, admiring it. 

While Amber and Patricia shared a high-five, I came up behind her and gave her a hug—glad to have her back in the club. 

“We should get to classes,” Nina said, putting the necklace back on.

Everyone nodded as the rest of Sibuna—except for Patricia—grabbed their bags and headed to school. Most of the school day went as usual. I struggled in biology, stared into space during English, and considered dropping French altogether when I couldn’t understand anything that Mrs. Andrews was saying to us. 

The only good part of the day was Drama class where I could work on the costumes for the school play. Amber was in a hideous canary costume, but it more closely resembled a chicken. Nina and Fabian were almost ten minutes late to rehearsal, looking for the dictionary in the library. In the time we were waiting, Amber went up to Mr. Winkler to talk about her distasteful costume.

“This color doesn’t really suit my complexion,” she said to him. “Can’t I be a blue budgie instead?”

Amber gestured with her hands, the sleeves of the costume flailing wildly. She really did look tragic in the costume, but I doubted Mr. Winkler was going to budge.

“Howard Carter took his canary to Tutankhamen’s tomb,” Mr. Winkler refuted, script in hand. “Not a budgerigar.”

“Dramatic license?” Amber said hopefully.

“No,” he denied.

Amber turned and slumped back to where I was sitting on the couch. 

“At least it’s better than a cactus,” I offered.

Amber huffed, not responding as she ruffled the feathers of the costume. A few minutes later, Nina and Fabian came through the hallway and into the drama lounge, slightly breathless.

“About time guys,” Mr. Winkler exclaimed at their entrance. “Rehearsals were meant to start almost fifteen minutes ago.”

Nina and Fabian both gave Mr. Winkler a sheepish smile as an apology. Amber and I stood to join them, eagerly. It was nice to see things back to normal with them side-by-side.

“Well?” Amber asked.

Nina and Fabian didn’t respond as they looked over Amber’s costume, an amused smile thrown across each of their faces.

“Why are you dressed as a duck?” Fabian smiled.

“I’m a canary,” Amber corrected with her head tilted to the side.

“A canary dressed as a duck?” Fabian joked.

“See!” Amber exclaimed. “This costume must be changed, Lizzie.”

“I don’t have any power over that,” I responded. “If it helps, you look like a cute duck.”

Amber rolled her eyes at me before turning back to Nina and Fabian.

“Did you find anything?” She directed the question to my sister.

“Well, we were looking for an old English dictionary, but, then mastermind over here.” She gestured to Fabian. “Thought we should look for an Arabic dictionary, and ta-da!” 

I smiled enthusiastically as Nina pulled out a leather-bound book from her bag. Beside me, Amber let out a loud squeal of excitement, catching the attention of Mr. Winkler across the room.

“What’s with all the squealing?” He asked, frustration evident in his voice. “Can we set up for a run of act one, please?”

“I don’t think we can, I mean—” Fabian started.

“I know we don’t have Alfie—” Mr. Winkler interrupted.

“Or Jerome,” I added.

“Or Patricia,” Nina noted.

“Or Mara,” said Mick from the edge of the stage.

“Fantastic,” Mr. Winkler exclaimed sarcastically.

“We can always do my scene again,” Amber said while fluffing her feathers.

“I supposed we’ll have to,” he responded grimly.

At that moment, grunge Mara made her appearance. It wasn’t typical of her to be late to class, but I figured it came with the new attitude and persona. Mick went over to her almost immediately, but Mara was too distracted by Amber’s costume.

“What’s with the stupid chicken outfit?” Mara questioned, mouth clapping loudly with gum.

Amber sighed in frustration. Without bothering to reply to Mara, Amber grabbed my arm and walked over to Mr. Winkler, claiming they had to do  _ something _ about this costume. Unfortunately for Amber, our drama teacher didn’t budge on the costume no matter how much she complained. 

The rest of the rehearsal was rough, but Mick and Mara’s scene was especially awkward. Mara was visibly upset with Mick—whose face looked guilty every time he glanced at her. I wondered what he’d done to make her so upset, and thought back to our conversation with Patricia. I had no idea if they were talking again, but it seemed that Patricia’s suspicions about Mick had been right. Though, Mara’s new attitude exuded a stubbornness that gave me the impression she hadn’t exactly forgiven Patricia yet.

I didn’t get the chance to speak with her after classes because Nina grabbed my arm and pulled me away once classes were over. She snagged Amber and Fabian in the hallway too, and we practically raced over to Anubis House.

We sat in a circle surrounding the dictionary in the center of our room once we returned, Amber wielded a knife to try and open the clasp. We took turns with the knife, but the clasps remained closed, and the Arabic dictionary shut.

“Wow,” Amber breathed. “It’s a superpowered clasp.”

“Ugh,” Nina groaned. “It’s really stuck.”

“What about the locket?” I suggested.

Nina nodded at me and shrugged, “It’s opened stuff before.”

I picked up the necklace from the ground and held it to the clasp. For a moment, it seemed like something was happening. The red-eye flickered as a magnetic force drew the pendant to the clasp. Sadly, it only tapped the clasp before falling to the ground, leaving the dictionary unopened.

“It kinda worked.” I shrugged.

“Here.” Nina took the locket from me. “Let me try.”

When Nina held up the pendant to the clasp both ignited an orange color. The rest of Sibuna watched as Nina went for the second clasp. The same thing happened, and when Nina pulled her hand away, the clasps opened in unison. 

“It only works for you,” Amber said, eyeing my sister.

“And Lizzie,” Fabian noted. “Sort of.”

I shot him a half-hearted smile at the acknowledgment.

“Spooky,” Amber giggled.

“Well let’s open it,” I urged.

Nina reached and flipped over the cover, only to reveal a hollowed out inside.

“Nothing,” Fabian said somberly.

“Nothing,” Nina repeated with a sigh.

Fabian shut the dictionary closed with frustration.

“That can’t be,” he said.

“Do you think someone took the clue from inside?” I guessed.

“That’s the only possible answer,” Fabian sighed.

“Now what are we gonna do?” Nina asked, defeated.

No one answered, and the silence hung heavily around us. We remained like that until the sound of my ringtone rippled through the room, making everyone jump in surprise. I retrieved my phone from my bag, a mixture of confusion and surprise brewing when I saw who the caller was.

“Who is it?” Nina asked me.

“It’s Patricia,” I answered. I swiped across the screen and held the phone to my ear, almost feeling worried about why she was calling. Was something wrong with Alfie?

“Lizzie, it’s Patricia,” her voice was frantic. “I need your help.”

* * *

“She didn’t say what she meant by help?” Fabian asked me as we headed down the stairs, carrying the items Patricia told us to bring.

“All she said was to meet her in the bike shed with blankets and food,” I answered, equally as confused and curious.

When we reached the bottom of the stairs a voice called out to us from the living room. I turned to see Jerome as he exited the living room and nearly bumped into me. We shared an uncomfortably apologetic look before he turned to the rest of the group. 

“Have you guys seen Patricia?” He asked. “She disappeared at the hospital, and I’m thinking I should tell Trudy.”

All of us started to come up with a lie, trying to cover for her.

“Oh, Patricia?” Fabian asked. “She’s uh…”

“She’s at—” Amber followed.

“She’s got a boyfriend,” I exclaimed loudly, catching Jerome’s attention. “They’re madly in love.”

Nina nodded enthusiastically beside me.

“Yup, he’s in a band,” she picked up where I left off. “They’re kind of, goth?”

“You know Patricia,” I laughed stiffly.

“Patricia’s got a boyfriend?” Jerome questioned me. “You’re serious?”

“As ever,” I said, not breaking eye contact in the hopes that Jerome would believe the lie.

“Poor guy,” he said after a moment, making the corners of my mouth edge upward slightly.

He started to return to the living room, but it was then that I remembered I needed to ask him something.

“Wait,” I called out, causing a weird glance from the rest of Sibuna.

Jerome turned but stayed where he was, almost wary to get too close.

“How’s Alfie?” I asked simply, remembering his missing presence today during rehearsal.

“Oh,” Jerome paused, looking surprised that I’d asked. “He’s doing great actually, playing video games and flirting with his nurse.”

Amber let out a small gasp from behind me, probably offended that Alfie had forgotten about her.

“That can’t have gone well,” I muttered.

“Flirting isn’t exactly Alfie’s forte,” Jerome agreed.

“Doesn’t seem like it,” I paused as we shared a smile. “Did they say when he could come home?”

“If everything goes as planned, he’ll be back here tomorrow morning,” Jerome informed.

“That’s great,” I breathed, the news that Alfie was going to be okay had settled at least some of my anxiety for the moment.

“Yeah,” Jerome said quietly, moving his gaze to the ground.

“Lizzie,” my sister whispered. “We should go, Patricia’s waiting for us.”

“Oh, yeah,” I realized. “We’ve gotta run, but see you later? We should plan a surprise for Alfie’s return like we did for Trudy.”

Jerome nodded, suddenly returning to the present from his thoughts.

I gave him a small wave before I followed the rest of Sibuna out the door. I was shivering as we headed to the bike shed, picking up the pace a little once we were on our way. When we got there, Fabian threw open the door to reveal a startled Patricia and a man in a wheelchair. I followed Fabian inside, seeing a familiar face form in the man.

“Rufus Zeno?” I asked, confused. The last we’d seen him he was being dragged into Victor’s truck while unconscious. 

“How’d you get him here?” Nina asked.

“I took him from the hospital,” Patricia explained sheepishly.

“You stole a patient?” Amber said, shocked.

“Have you gone completely insane?” Fabian asked.

“Well I couldn’t leave him in the hospital could I?” She defended.

“Yes, you could’ve,” I refuted.

“Not when he’s like this,” she continued.

“Especially when he’s like this,” I countered. “How do you expect to take care of him now that he’s out of the hospital?”

“Just until he comes around,” Patricia compromised.

“I don’t mean to be difficult,” Nina stepped in. “But what if he doesn’t?”

“He will,” Patricia said definitively. “He’s looking more alert already.”

I looked back to Rufus where his head lolled to the side, mouth agape.

“Oh yeah, he should be piloting a plane,” Fabian’s tone was laced with sarcasm.

“Well, he was more alert in the taxi,” Patricia responded.

Fed up with the arguing, Amber stepped forward and bent down to Rufus’ eye level. Without warning, she wound up her arm and slapped Rufus right across the face. 

“Wake up!” She exclaimed.

“Calm down, Amber,” Patricia hissed.

In front of us, Rufus had woken up from Amber’s slap. He looked around the room with part confusion and part intrigue. 

“Where am I?” Rufus said, eyes finally landing on Patricia.

“You’re welcome.” Amber stepped back so Patricia could talk to Rufus clearly.

“It’s okay, Rufus. It’s me, Patricia,” she spoke softly almost as if she would to a child. “You’re safe here.”  
“Patricia,” Rufus realized. “What happened?”

“We’re not sure,” she answered. “We saw Victor kidnap you.”

“Y-Yeah,” Rufus remembered.

“And then I found you in the hospital,” Patricia went on. “You were, like, comatose. They must’ve done something to you.”

Rufus nodded in agreement before rocking his head back and shutting his eyes.

“I’m so tired,” he mumbled.

“Should I slap him again?” Amber’s eyes were bright.

Patricia snagged the water jug we’d brought with us and poured Rufus a cup. She nudged his foot slightly, making his head pop up with surprise. She motioned for him to drink the water, and he took it easily.

“They must’ve thought you were close to finding Joy,” Patricia kept going. “Or else they wouldn’t have kidnapped you like that.”

“Do you think they’ve hidden her somewhere? Like they did with you?” Amber asked when Rufus didn’t respond. 

“Oh I’m convinced they’ve hidden her, yes,” Rufus nodded to us all, pausing for a brief moment when he saw my sister and me.

“You said Nina’s locket might be the key,” Patricia turned to my sister. “Nina, why don’t you show it to him?”

Nina and I shared a hesitant look, neither of us trusting Rufus entirely.

“Patricia,” Fabian whispered angrily.

“Which one of you is the girl with the locket?” Rufus asked.

“That would be me,” Nina said before I could. “I’m also Nina, hi.”

“May I see it?” he inquired.

“No,” Nina said without pausing, her hand coming to her chest to hold the necklace. “I-I can’t show anyone, I was told not to.”

“By Sarah Frobisher Smythe?”

“Yeah,” Nina breathed. 

“How would you know that?” My sister and I asked together.

Rufus’ eyebrows raised with curiosity when we spoke at the same time, but answered our question swiftly.

“Oh she’s a friend of mine,” he said. 

“Did you know Anna, too?” I asked, taking him by surprise.

“She was Sarah’s sister,” he answered, unhelpfully.

“Yeah, she told us that,” I paused. “She also told us that you two were close.”

“We were,” Rufus admitted, looking lost in his thoughts for a moment before returning to the present.

“What happened to her?” I asked.

“A tragic accident, but that’s not important. You,” he pointed to Nina, “have Sarah’s necklace, and you must give it back to her.”

“Why?” Fabian asked suspiciously.

Rufus eyed Fabian up and down before answering, “Because that locket is cursed.”

“Cursed?” Amber gasped. “What do you mean, cursed?”

“Well, before Sarah had it she was a wonderful and vibrant woman,” he said quickly. “And you never should’ve taken it from her.”

“I didn’t take it,” Nina said harshly. “It was a gift.”

“She’s a confused old woman, who had no idea what she was doing,” he said with a laugh. “I mean, I can give it back to her if you like?”

“No,” Nina, Fabian, and I all said together.

“Strictly speaking,” Rufus’ face fell. “The locket isn’t yours.”

“Strictly speaking it isn’t yours either,” Fabian shot back.

“I meant what I said,” Rufus returned his focus to my sister. “The locket is dangerous. The all-seeing eye of Horus is an evil eye.”

“I thought the eye of Horus was an Egyptian symbol of protection,” Fabian’s face showed confusion.

“But is it protecting good,” he paused for dramatic effect. “Or evil?”

* * *

The next day, my sister, Fabian, and I were in the lounge studying the dictionary. Well, Nina and Fabian were studying it while I was working on sewing some costumes for the school play. I was so distracted thinking about what Victor had said, that I kept accidentally jabbing my finger with the needle while trying to fix Jerome and Alfie’s costume. I was just in the middle of putting on a new band-aid when Patricia rushed toward us. She looked distressed and was still carrying the bag of food I’d seen her grab at breakfast. 

“Rufus is gone,” she exclaimed, out of breath when she reached us.

“What?” I asked. “Are you sure?”

Patricia nodded at me before she frowned.

“I can’t believe it,” she cried. “It was my only connection to Joy.”

“I’m sure he’ll contact you if he finds anything,” I tried to console her.

“I hope so,” Patricia sighed before giving up and taking a seat next to me.

“What are you guys doing, anyway?” She asked.

“I’m trying to fix Jerome and Alfie’s camel costume,” I gestured the tan fur toward her.

“We’re working on the clue,” Nina explained, handing Fabian a magnifying glass from her bag. “Maybe that’ll help. It’s so old and grimy, maybe there’s something we can’t see.”

“Since when do you have a magnifying glass?” I squinted at her.

She only shrugged at me as she and Fabian continued to inspect the book.

“I reckon whatever was in there’s long gone,” Patricia voiced.

“She’s right,” Fabian said with annoyance. “There’s nothing.”

“Wait, what’s that?” Nina asked, pointing at something.

“What?” Fabian looked back to the book, waiving his miniature flashlight inside.

“Something faint,” Nina explained. 

Patricia and I leaned over to see what Nina was talking about, but I couldn’t see anything.

“There!” She grabbed Fabian’s hand and guided the light over. 

After a moment of holding the light in place, black lettering appeared in the book.

“It’s invisible ink,” Fabian realized. “The heat from the torch must be making it appear.”

“What’s it say?” Patricia questioned.

“Under the eyes of Horus, a globe and hollow lie. Two right for eternity, but just one left to die,” Fabian’s voice trailed off at the end.

I grimaced at the morbid phrasing, but Nina seemed to be working out what it meant.

“Well, the panel in the attic is a kind of hollow,” she suggested. “There’s an eye of Horus there, too.”

“We could try that,” Fabian considered. 

Our scheming was cut short when the rest of our classmates joined us for rehearsal. It was Alfie’s first day back, and even Mr. Winkler seemed happy to see his face in class again. He and Jerome tried on the camel costume and bickered about who got to be the top half of the costume. I tried to stay out of it, not wanting to get between them.

That night I was having trouble falling asleep. The pit in my stomach hadn’t returned, thankfully, but the thought of Rufus running loose gave me the creeps. I shuddered as I remembered the look he gave my sister when the locket was mentioned. And when I brought up Anna his eyes almost glazed over in a trance. He wasn’t someone I wanted to spend time with, and I was partly glad that Patricia wasn’t in contact with him anymore.

My stomach let out a large rumble, finally catching up with the times I’d skipped breakfast this week. I looked at the time on my phone and sighed, seeing that it was half-past midnight. The reasonable side of me said to wait and just have a large breakfast tomorrow morning, but the more persuasive side of me remembered how good Trudy’s brownies tasted.

Victor wasn’t in his office when I crept past it, but I couldn’t decipher whether that was good or bad. At best, he was in his bedroom directly across from the office and sleeping soundly. At worst, he was somewhere downstairs and would run into me on my way to the kitchen. I decided to take the risk anyway, knowing Trudy’s brownies were worth it. 

I made it to the kitchen with no troubles, only my mind telling me how creepy Anubis House was at night. With all the lights out and everything put away it almost felt like no one lived here. I ignored the feeling in my spine as I neared the counter with the brownies on it, and took one last look around before I tugged at the saran wrap. I grabbed one and took a bite eagerly before returning for a second.

When I turned around to reach for a napkin from the island I nearly choked on my brownie as I spotted Jerome standing in the doorway. I resisted the urge to cough as I held my free hand over my chest.

“Late night snack?” He asked, somewhat amused.

I swallowed and cleared my throat before responding, hoping there was no chocolate on my face or in my teeth.

“Uh, yeah,” I admitted.

“The brownies are a good choice,” he commented, stepping further into the room and leaning on the island counter.

I nodded, my mind taking me back to when I was little. Trudy’s brownie recipe must be similar to my mom’s because they were eerily reminiscent of each other.

“No Scooby gang activities tonight?” Jerome asked with a slightly bitter tone, pulling me back to the present.

“Nope,” I avoided his gaze.

“Right,” he mumbled.

“What are you doing up?” I countered.

“Alfie and I are having a zombie movie marathon as a celebration for his first night back,” he explained. “I was gonna make popcorn.”

“Don’t let me stop you,” I said, meeting his eyes. “I’m about done here anyways.”

He nodded but didn’t move from where he was standing. He looked like he wanted to say something, but was struggling to actually voice it. Before he could, I heard whispering from the front hallway. It was two voices, and I could recognize one of them anywhere because it sounded exactly like my voice.

I dropped my brownies on a napkin and walked over to the doorway of the kitchen. Peering around the corner I spotted my sister and Fabian with flashlights, studying one of the spheres that sat atop the staircase banisters.

“What are they doing?” I said to myself. Had they figured out the clue? I was about to go join them when a hand grasped my arm.

“That’s not a good idea,” Jerome’s breath faintly touched the back of my neck as he spoke.

“And why’s that?” I challenged, ignoring the flair in my chest when I realized how close we were.

As I responded, Nina and Fabian detached the sphere from the banister. Dangling underneath was a small object I couldn’t quite see. I only got a glimpse of the gold paint that reflected in the shine of Fabian’s flashlight. I watched as Fabian and my sister shared an excited squeal, one that wasn’t exactly subtle, and studied the piece. Looking at them made me realize how similar they were, and how they fit together so easily. I’d never had something like that, either in friendship or romance. Whatever their relationship was I was jealous of it, I realized. 

“What do we have here?” Victor’s voice echoed from upstairs.

“That’s why,” Jerome said, pulling on my arm.

I didn’t budge, wanting to make sure my sister wouldn’t get into too much trouble.

“C’mon,” Jerome whispered.

I shushed him with a hand as Victor came down a few steps.

“Give,” he demanded, holding out his hand for the piece. “I shall decide upon your punishment in the morning, now get to your rooms immediately.”

My sister didn’t hesitate at his words and shuffled past him quickly. Fabian spotted Jerome and I on his way back, but thankfully refrained from saying anything. Jerome tugged on my arm once more, but my eyes were glued to Victor as he looked at the piece.

“No!” Victor cried out and I flinched involuntarily.

Victor turned over his shoulder to look back upstairs, but as his gaze went in our direction I panicked. Jerome grasped my arm and pulled me back into the kitchen, keeping us out of Victor’s sightline. My back hit the fridge silently as Jerome’s hands went to my shoulders as if to keep me in place. 

My eyes were locked on Jeromes, waiting for any sign that we should hide further. His eyes went back and forth between mine and the doorway anxiously waiting for the sound of Victor’s footsteps going back upstairs. I don’t know how long we stayed like that. I didn’t dare move in fear that Victor would hear us, not even to shrug off Jerome’s hands from my shoulders. 

At the sound of Victor’s footsteps I tensed, but then relaxed when I realized he was shuffling up the stairs rather than down. I lowered my shoulders, relieving the pain in my neck. Jerome turned back to me, eyes no longer wide. It was then that I noticed how close we were standing.

I cleared my throat, snapping us back into reality. Jerome pulled his hands away almost immediately, a nearly-sheepish look crossing his face.

“Thanks for the warning about Victor,” I whispered.

Jerome responded with a solemn nod but avoided my eyes. I leaned off the fridge and paused at the doorway—-just in case Victor decided to make a reappearance.

“Don’t forget your brownies,” Jerome reminded.

“Thanks,” I said softly, taking the napkin from his outreached hand. “Have fun with your zombie marathon.”

He nodded, leaning back against the counter. “Goodnight, Elizabeth.”

I paused, knowing that I should be heading back upstairs before Victor comes back, but something in the back of my mind told me to stay.

“Are you ever going to call me Lizzie?” I asked.

“I haven’t decided,” he answered with a shrug. 

The corners of my lips twitched into a small smile as I rolled my eyes at his response. Though he had the tendency to be annoying, I was glad he wasn’t harboring any animosity over what happened with Alfie. When we spoke before my interrogation with Victor he’d seemed angry, whether that was with me or in general I didn’t know. 

“Goodnight Jerome,” I said softly, finally turning and heading upstairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Since I have more time updates will be more consistent. Ideally, they'll be every Tuesday and Thursday. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, lmk your thoughts or suggestions down below! Thanks for reading <3


	15. House of Drama / House of Codes

Today was the dress rehearsal for the play, which was surprisingly coming together. Nina had taken more of the stories from Sarah to help make the play more interesting, and everyone was doing their job correctly. All of the costumes looked great, and my job was essentially done. It was a relief, considering how stressed Mr. Winkler had been about everything.

After rehearsal, my sister, Patricia, Fabian, and I met up in the lounge to discuss our plan to get the next piece back. Apparently, Nina had come up with something and wanted to fill us in. Rehearsal had only just ended so they were still in costume, Fabian with a drawn-on mustache and Patricia swinging around her staff.

“So, hit us with that insane plan there Nina,” Fabian encouraged.

“Okay, so tomorrow night everyone will be at the play, right?” she asked rhetorically. “Even Victor, so Anubis House will be empty.”

“Yeah?” I asked.

“After the first few scenes, I’m not on again until the second act,” she continued. “So, I’ve got about thirty minutes to sneak back, break into the safe, get the puzzle piece, and get back to the play in time for my second act entrance.”

“Brilliant,” Fabian nodded.

“I could go too,” I reminded them. “After today I’m basically done with my job unless anything goes wrong backstage.”

“We should both go,” Nina nodded at me. “Two heads are better than one.”

“Um, aren’t you forgetting something?” Patricia asked suddenly.

“What?” Nina turned to Patricia.

“The code to Victor’s safe?”

Nina groaned loudly. I opened my mouth to reassure her that we’d figure something out, but Mr. Winkler’s voice spoke before I could.

“Alfie, Jerome!” He yelled. “What exactly are you doing?”

They were still on stage, wiggling around in their camel costume.

“The zipper’s stuck,” Alfie said from the head of the camel.

“Oh my god,” I groaned, saying my goodbyes to Sibuna before walking up to the dysfunctional camel.

“How did this even happen?” I asked, pulling at the zipper.

“Ask him,” they said at the same time.

“That’s very helpful, thank you,” I rolled my eyes.

I tried tugging at the zipper again, but nothing was working. I gave it a harsh yank and thought I’d loosened it, but upon further inspection, I realized I’d made it worse.

“Is it working?” Alfie asked.

“Um, yeah,” I hummed.

“Liar,” Jerome accused. “We’re going to be stuck like this forever.”

“Don’t be dramatic,” I said. “We might just have to cut you out of it, that’s all.”

After only making it worse, I was hesitant to continue. If we did cut them out of the costume, I’d have to spend most of the night sewing it back together. But, it was beginning to seem like that was the only way to get them out of this costume.

“I think we need Trudy’s help,” I said to them, finally giving up.

They both groaned. I maneuvered the fabric so that Jerome could at least stand up and poke his head out of the costume until we got to Trudy. I ended up carrying all of our backpacks on the walk to Anubis House, as Jerome and Alfie couldn’t move their arms. I tried not to laugh as Jerome and Alfie hopped together across the quad, they looked like a bad version of a three-legged race.

“I don’t appreciate your laughter,” Jerome said to me.

“I’m sorry,” I said with a giggle. “You guys look ridiculous.”

“I’ve had to pee since the beginning of the second act,” Alfie said, shuffling ahead and dragging Jerome behind him.

“If you pee in that costume—” I started.

“Hopefully he won’t have to,” Jerome cut me off as they ran up to Anubis House. 

I held the door open for them as they hobbled inside and went straight to the dining room to sit down. I followed closely, plopping their backpacks on one of the couches before leaning against it. My sister, Patricia, Amber, and Fabian were already in the living room, laughing at Jerome and Alfie’s unfortunate situation.

“You’re gonna have to sleep like that,” Patricia laughed.

“No way,” Jerome protested. “His feet stink.”

“Okay, don’t get the hump,” Patricia joked.

“Ugh, where’s Trudes?” Alfie asked, bouncing his legs up and down. “I’m busting for the bathroom.”

Right then, Trudy entered the living room carrying a sewing kit.

“C’mon, this won’t hurt a bit,” She said with a large pair of scissors in her hand.

Jerome and Alfie tried to stand up, but something went wrong because they fell over almost immediately. I let out a laugh as they crumbled to the ground, Trudy squatting down to their level to try and cut them out.

“Trudy get me out, please,” Jerome groaned.

“What are you doing?” Patricia asked suddenly, referring to Fabian.

Fabian was sitting at the dining table with his eyes closed and his hand in the air. It looked like he was trying to remember something, but couldn’t quite figure out what. He shushed us as we came over, forgetting the camel costume fiasco. Fabian gasped as his eyes snapped open.

“Pen and paper, quick,” he said, hands dancing in the air. Nina pulled out a notebook from her bag and handed it to him with a pen quickly. He started scribbling madly, drawing what looked like a keypad, and then trying a combination on it.

As he did that, Trudy was successful in getting the two pranksters out of their costume.

“I feel like I’ve just broken out of jail,” Jerome said. “A fur-lined jail.”

Alfie rushed out of the dining room and towards the bathroom, pushing me aside gently as he did so. Trudy handed me the top half of their costume, and I withheld a gag as I felt—and smelled—how sweaty it was.

“He pressed the top right one twice, the middle one once, and the bottom… left one once,” Fabian said, pulling me back to Sibuna. “I think.”

“You only think?” Amber asked.

“We need to know definitely,” Patricia pointed out. “You guys can’t do this.”

“Sarah trusted me with the treasure,” Nina defended. “I can’t let it fall into Victor’s hands.”

“We have to try,” Nina and I said together, watching as Fabian circled the combination and held it up to us.

“It’s 3-3-5-7,” he smiled.

Patricia and I shared an unsure glance, but my sister was right. Satisfied with the combination, Nina joined Fabian at the dining table to work on homework. I sighed, realizing I should start sewing the costume before it got too late, so I headed upstairs to grab some supplies. On my way up the stairs, I passed Mara in the hallway, looking distressed. She was on her way out of her room, eyebrows knit closely together and lips pursed.

“Mara, is everything okay?” I asked her.

“Now it is,” she said, snapping back to life.

“Does this have anything to do with Mick?” I questioned curiously. I’d meant to talk to her after classes the other day, but everything with Sibuna kept interrupting. 

“Why would you ask that?”

“Just a guess.”

Mara sighed, “Mick is training with Mrs. Robbinson now.”

“Right,” I nodded. “Weren’t you Mick’s training partner?”

“I was,” she snarled. “He called me sensible and boring behind my back, saying that we’d never work as a couple.”

That explained the new attitude and makeup. She wanted to prove to Mick that she could be different, not the Mara he knew.

“So then he started training with Mrs. Robbinson,” Mara continued. “And the way she acts around him is so inappropriate.”

“What does she do?” 

“She’s all giggly and flirting,” Mara explained. “And he giggles and flirts back because she’s his type.”

“I don’t think she’s his type,” I offered. “They just have a common interest.”

“Here, I’ll show you the pictures,” she gestured for me to follow as she turned and walked to her room.

“What pictures?” I asked, taking a seat on her bed when we got there.

She didn’t reply as she opened her laptop, searching through her files with wide eyes. I didn’t know whether to take Mara’s word as entirely truthful, it sounded more like jealousy. But Mara pulled up a picture of Mick and Mrs. Robbinson on her screen and showed it to me. It definitely didn’t look innocent, with the two of them rolling on the ground and laughing.

“Did you take this?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said quietly. “And I sent them to Mr. Sweet.”

“Mara,” I gasped. “Mrs. Robbinson could get fired for this.”

“I know,” she said with a grimace. “But I was so angry.”

“Because you’re jealous,” I pointed out.

“I’m not jealous,” her voice rose. “Just angry that he dumped me and then so easily found a replacement.”

I considered her words for a moment. Rather than going into a lecture about anger management, I reached over and closed the laptop.

“You’re not replaceable Mara,” I told her. “If Mick doesn’t see how amazing you are than that’s his problem.”

Mara’s eyes softened, but I still noted the anger lingering in her eyes.

“Do you think what I did was the right thing?” She asked me.

“No,” I said after a moment. “But It definitely wasn’t sensible or boring.”

A hint of a smile showed at the corners of her mouth, and I took that as a sign that I’d cheered her up slightly.

“Just try not to think about it tonight,” I suggested. “Sleep on it, and then come back to it in the morning and reconsider.”

She nodded at me, but it looked like she was only half-listening. I gave her shoulder a small squeeze before standing. I wondered how the play was going to go tomorrow, thinking about what Mara had just told me. Their characters had to kiss, and considering the situation with Mrs. Robbinson, I didn’t think it was going to go well. I thought back to when I’d first met Mara, and she’d tutored me in biology until I got my footing with the coursework. She wasn’t the type of person to try and get a teacher fired, no matter how angry. She’d definitely changed, and not for the better.

* * *

I spent most of my evening, and the next day, fixing the camel costume in time for the opening. Now that there was no tension on the zipper, I was able to get it unstuck again and figure out the best way to zip the costume without it getting stuck again. Mr. Winkler was relieved that I’d been able to fix it, but he was still visibly concerned about the rest of the show. 

Everyone was currently backstage, trying to prepare for opening night. Nina and Mara were doing their makeup, asking me for advice every now and then, while I was trying to make sure that the camel costume went smoothly.

“You have to be very careful with it,” I instructed Jerome and Alfie. “I don’t want to be cutting you guys out of this again tonight.”

“Trust me,” Jerome said. “We don’t want that either.”

I held it out to them gently, still unsure about whether or not I trusted them. Jerome reached for it, but at the last minute, I pulled it away.

“Just, I’ve spent a lot of time on this,” I said. “I—”

“We know, Lizzie,” Alfie laughed.

“You can trust us,” Jerome said. He and Alfie leaned their heads together with a smile, but it didn’t reassure me in the slightest. I sighed reluctantly, looking back and forth between the two of them.

“You have to  _ promise _ ,” I paused for dramatic effect. “To not ruin the costume.”

“We  _ promise _ to try our best,” Jerome shot me a coy smile.

“I guess that’ll have to do,” I said lowly as I held out the costume.

Jerome tried to take the costume from me but instinctively I tightened my grip on it. The corner of his lips turned upward slightly when he realized I hadn’t let go. He moved his hands to my shoulders and tried to straighten his face, but a hint of his smile was still peaking through. The feel of his hands on my shoulders brought me back to the other night in the kitchen when we hid from Victor together. His eyes were gentler now than they were then, as was his grip on my shoulders, but I felt just as captivated.

“Elizabeth,” he started. “The costume will be fine.”

“Fine,” I said with a huff. “Take it before I change my mind.”

Jerome took the costume from me swiftly with a satisfied smile before he and Alfie disappeared to the dressing room. Hoping to put the fate of the camel costume out of my mind, I turned to see my sister and Fabian poking their heads out of the curtain. Neither of them noticed when I joined them, intently staring at someone in the crowd.

“Whatcha looking at?” I asked, causing them both to jump with surprise.

“Look in the front row,” My sister responded frantically pushing me in front of her.

I poked my head out of the curtain suspiciously, scanning the first row for anyone unexpected. Unexpected was an understatement when I found Rufus Zeno sitting on the right-hand side of the seating. 

“What’s Rufus doing here?” I asked, removing my head from the curtain.

“We don’t know,” Fabian said. “We were just asking the same thing.”

“It’s strange,” I mumbled. “I mean why would he come here after running out on Patricia?”

Nina shrugged, just as clueless as the rest of us. Patricia appeared next to us in costume a moment later, carrying a letter she’d received this morning.

“You know that good luck card I got this morning?” She asked rhetorically, her hand outstretched to show it to us. 

“D4,” I read aloud. “What does that mean?”

“I was really hoping you would know,” Patricia gulped.

“Maybe it’s a secret message from Rufus?” Nina grabbed Fabian’s arm as if she’d discovered something important.

“Why would you say that?” Patricia asked, confused.

“He’s in the audience,” I informed her.

“What?” She gaped. “Is he insane? What if Victor sees him?”

Patricia huffed and, without waiting for a response, walked to the crack in the curtain. She returned a few seconds later, eyes bright with frustration.

“What if it’s his seat number?” Nina suggested.

“No, Rufus is in row G,” Patricia corrected.

“Then who’s sitting in seat D4?” I asked.

“All of you—places for curtains up,” Mr. Winkler interrupted our conversation. 

Patricia moved to center-stage and joined Mara and Mick. Nina, Fabian, and I shuffled awkwardly to the wings. Fabian was peering his head through the curtain again, trying to get a look at who was in seat D4. However, we didn’t need to look for long when the curtain went up. Mick and Mara ran off the stage right before the curtain went up, no doubt talking about what happened with the pictures and Mrs. Robbinson. Patricia, who now stood alone on the stage, stared agape into the audience.

“Joy?!” She exclaimed.

My head tilted to the side as I registered Patricia’s words. They weren’t her opening lines, but as I followed her gaze I saw what she was talking about. I peered into the audience from where I observed in the wings and, sure enough, sitting in seat D4 was a small figure wearing dark jeans and a hoodie. I could only assume it was Joy, from Patricia’s reaction. Amber joined us, in a cactus costume, as Patricia ad-libbed the rest of the opening. When she finally finished the scene, Patricia practically ran off the stage. 

“Let’s try to stay on-book next time, okay?” Mr. Winkler said to Patricia as she entered the wings.

As my sister entered and recited her monologue, I watched Patricia as she settled beside us. I was hoping to catch her attention but she was busy looking into the audience. I followed her line of sight and found the figure I’d seen earlier in the hoodie, only this time the figure seemed almost hunched over. 

“Go, Nina,” Amber whispered next to me. “She should totally get an agent.”

“Yeah, totally,” Patricia responded absent-mindedly.

“Is that Joy?” I asked her, causing her to jump.

“Yeah,” she said hesitantly. “We have to warn her.”

“Warn who what?” Fabian whispered to us. Amber had entered the stage, so Fabian had moved closer and heard our conversation.

“Joy’s in the audience,” I explained.

“What?” He asked.

“In the same room as Victor,” Patricia noted. “We have to warn her how dangerous it is.”

“If he took her in the first place I’m guessing she already knows that,” Fabian refuted.

“We should watch Victor’s reaction,” I remembered, noting where we were in the script.

Patricia nodded at me and we quietly made our way to the front of the curtain. We were able to get close enough to see Victor through the curtain without having to poke our heads out.

Fabian made his entrance and did his impression of Victor—dropping the pin and everything. Patricia and I snickered as Victor’s natural frown deepened with distaste. The rest of the audience was laughing, including Mr. Sweet. That is until Mr. Sweet made eye contact with Victor, at which point Mr. Sweet stifled his laugh and composure.

When Nina exited the stage I went to meet her, ready to leave for Anubis House. I’d stashed my jacket near the wing early and quickly grabbed it now, rushing to Nina. Nerves were brewing in my stomach, but I tried to ignore them as I zipped up my jacket.

“Ready?” Nina asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I shrugged, taking a deep breath.

“Nina, Lizzie,” Fabian came over when he got off stage. “You guys don’t have to do this.”

“Yes we do,” Nina combated. “We have to rescue that puzzle piece from Victor’s safe or our search is over.”

“I’ll come with you,” Fabian offered.

“You can’t, you have to be on stage,” I interrupted. “Besides, I’m going with her. We’ll be fine.”

Nina and I started to turn away when Fabian’s voice called out once more.

“Nina,” he said hesitantly. “Just, be careful?”

Nina looked back at him, mouth slightly agape. “Y-Yeah,” she reassured him.

My sister stood there for a moment, studying Fabian’s worried face before taking my hand abruptly and leading us out of the school.

“What was that about?” I asked once we were outside.

“Nothing,” she said too quickly, a blush creeping its way to her cheeks.

“Right,” I scoffed.

“You’re one to judge,” she remarked.

“I’m not judging,” I defended. “Just trying to get you to see what the rest of us do.”

“And what’s that?” Nina asked, exasperated.

“Maybe that you have a massive crush on Fabian?” I laughed.

Nina’s mouth swung open with a gasp.

“I do not!” She squabbled, hitting me lightly on the arm.

“Oh come on,” I groaned. “You totally do.”

“You’re seeing things,” she refuted. “Besides, we’re getting off-track. We should be focusing on getting in and out of Victor’s office as quickly as possible.”

“You’re right about that last one,” I relented. “But this conversation isn’t over.”

Nina ignored my comment as she picked up her pace. We made it to Anubis House less than a minute later, and rushed up the stairs, panting. I pulled out a hairpin from my pocket and picked the lock to Victor’s office with shaking hands. This plan may have been simple, but it was certainly stressful. 

When I was finally finished with the lock, Nina swept past me and to the safe. I followed her lead but kept an eye out the window into the foyer in case we had an unexpected visitor. I heard my sister mumbling the combination as she pressed the buttons, but then she cried out.

“The combination’s wrong,” she said to me.

“What do we do?” I froze.

“It has to work,” she cried. She threw her hands up at the safe, pressing the buttons repeatedly and grabbing at the handle.

“Nina,” I said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She didn’t respond, only kept her focus on the safe. I sighed, looking around the room for something that might have the safe code on it. I started rummaging through the desk drawers, only to find a collection of large copper coins. The first coin I picked up had Jerome’s name on it, and then as I searched through the others I realized we each had a coin.

“Did you find the code?” Nina had finally calmed down and was looking at me with hopeful eyes.

“No,” I said. “But I found something weirder.”

I held up a few of the coins for her to see, and she squinted at them from where she sat on the floor. 

“What d’you think they're for?” My sister asked.

I shrugged at her before putting them back. As I closed the drawer I heard the front door of Anubis House close loudly, the echo reaching the window of Victor’s office.

“Oh no,” Nina and I said together.

Fear rippled through my spine, and I immediately bent down and hid under the desk. There was enough room for one person to fit comfortably, but not two. Nina crawled behind the desk, so whoever opened the door wouldn’t be able to see her. I hoped that it wasn’t Victor who’d arrived, but something in my gut told me otherwise. My heart sank when I heard the office door creep open, Nina still on the other side of the desk—it was Victor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This chapter is a little on the shorter side but it's still fun! Look out for another chapter on Thursday, thanks for reading <3 Hope you enjoyed it!!


	16. House of Risks / House of Thieves

My hand flew over my mouth as the creak of the door radiated through the office. I felt my heart pounding through my chest, and I tried as hard as I could to not breathe too loudly. Nina was still on the other side of the desk, and I guessed Victor hadn’t seen her since he hadn’t said anything. I listened as Victor closed the blinds and stepped toward Nina’s direction. Nina crawled behind the desk to counter his movement and held her finger up to her lips as she passed me. 

From my hiding spot, I could only see a sliver of Victor’s hand as he bent down to open the safe. I saw him press the upper-right hand button, just as Nina had, but then deviated from the code Fabian gave us. When the safe was open, Victor gently placed a back lockbox inside. Before I could dwell too long on what was inside the lockbox, Victor reached in again and pull out two rectangular objects. One was the one Nina and Fabian had found in the staircase, but where had the other one come from?

I hadn’t realized I’d leaned forward until Victor stood, giving me the opportunity to shrink back under the desk before he saw me. I tensed and watched his black leather shoes take the few steps needed to sit at his desk before he sat in his chair. He stretched out his leg with a loud crack at his knee. I narrowly avoided his foot as I tucked my knees to my chest, hoping to make myself as small as possible.

“Why are there two, Corbierre?” I heard him ask aloud.

A wave of confusion rippled through me—not even he knew why there were two pieces. Thee had to mean something, it was just a matter of what. Whatever their purpose, I was positive Nina and I wanted to keep those pieces away from Victor.

The ring of his phone sounded through the office, and I had to hold myself back from jumping in surprise. Any sudden movement could give away where I was, and if Victor found me, then he was likely to find Nina, too.

“Victor Roddenmar,” he answered before a pause. “In the audience? Don’t worry, I shall eliminate the target for good this time.”

I hoped he meant Rufus because I knew how much Joy meant to Patricia and the other members of Anubis House. I tensed as Victor returned to the safe after hanging up the phone. He put the pieces back and closed it swiftly before standing. I remained still until I heard the door hinges squeak, signaling Victor was fully gone. 

Nina moved around the corner of the desk to face me, a look of relief plastered across her face.

“That was close,” she said.

“No kidding,” I agreed. “How did he miss you?”

“We don’t have time to think about that, we have to get back to the play.” She said with a shrug.

“You go,” I offered. “I’ll get the pieces from the safe. Did you see him put in the code?”

“It’s 3-3-5-7 twice,” she nodded.

“You should go before you miss your scene,” I urged. “Watch out for Victor.”

Nina gave my hand a squeeze before leaving quietly. Thankfully, the safe combination was correct and it opened with ease. I saw the pieces sitting on the bottom shelf, and this was the first time I’d seen them up close. They were nearly identical—gold and blue paint decorating the sides. The center of each was a gold plate with varying Arabic markings. 

After giving the pieces a once over I stuffed them in my pocket and reached to close the safe. As my hand touched the door handle my eye caught on a photograph at tucked underneath the black box Victor had put in there earlier. My curiosity got the best of me, and I snagged the picture. 

It had been taken in the front hallway of Anubis House, but long before the school was established. There were three young kids in the photo, playing what looked like a game of hopscotch down the hallway. There was a pair of twin girls, each with their hair in braids and an identical dress. The other kid in the picture was a boy—he was smaller than the twins but he looked like he belonged. 

I turned the photograph over, searching for a date. The bottom corner read: “Sarah, Anna, and Victor Jr. 1924.” My breath caught as I read the description three more times to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. Sarah hadn’t been crazy, she’d had a sister—a _ twin _even. I flipped the picture back over, studying the girls intently.

Rufus’ words rang fresh in my mind. What had he meant by ‘tragic accident’? My breathing became ragged as a weight pulled on my chest. What happened to Anna was something Rufus didn’t talk about, that was very clear. How tragic had it been that he refused to talk about it?

I shook my head, remembering that I was _ very _ late for Act II. I reached to return the photo when I stopped, eyeing the picture. Something in my gut told me to keep it, normally I’d shrug off such a feeling, but this one was more persuasive. I decided to listen to my gut, putting the photo away before shutting the safe.

By the time I got back to the play, Nina was reciting her final monologue. Mr. Winkler hadn’t even noticed I was gone, but the moment Patricia saw me she pulled me aside.

“We have to stop Victor,” she said. “He and Mr. Sweet are standing at the back of the audience, plotting to kill Joy.”

“Joy?” I asked. “Are you sure it’s not Rufus?”

“It’s Joy,” she said with vigor.

“Places for curtain call!” Mr. Winkler interrupted.

Patricia huffed and walked away without another word. I waited by the wings, biting my nails to keep myself distracted. If Victor was going to kill Joy, we needed a plan—a good one. I hoped Patricia was wrong, but there was no way to know for sure. 

Nina finished the last line and the curtain closed with an eruption of applause. The rest of the cast joined Nina behind the curtain, but I stayed in place as the curtain rose for the curtain call. I watched my friends hold hands a bow for the applause, but I felt a frown tug at my face when I saw Patricia’s expression. Her eyes were wide, looking between two different places in the audience. Without warning, she opened her mouth and took a step forward.

“Joy, run! Quick!” She yelled across the room.

I squinted as I looked to the audience, only to see the small figure running towards the stage full speed. The cast stepped aside for her and she ran past me with no problem. I almost followed her but hesitated when I remembered that she had no idea who I was. A moment later Victor gave me a disdainful look as he followed Joy’s path.

I shook off Victor’s look and walked on stage, checking to see if my sister was okay. Mr. Sweet had joined the cast and was delivering a speech to try and distract from the commotion. I paid little attention to what Mr. Sweet was saying, and instead was whispering with Nina.

“Did Joy escape?” She asked me.

“I don’t know, she ran past me but Victor was right behind her.”

“Joy knows how to hide,” Patricia jumped in. “She’ll be okay.”

“Victor seemed very determined,” I said warily.

Mr. Sweet’s speech was disrupted when Rufus jumped onto the stage. He went straight for Patricia, gripping her by her shoulders as he whispered something in her ear. Just as quickly as he’d appeared, he turned and shoved past Nina and me as he ran off the stage. Nina bumped into me by accident, and I nearly went tumbling to the ground only to find that someone had caught me from behind. 

I couldn’t identify the pair of arms holding me around the waist, but was grateful they’d caught me. They helped me find my footing again before I turned to find that it was Jerome. His arms were still wrapped around me, causing a jump in my chest. I cleared my throat, stepped out of his grasp quicker than I could process the feeling in my chest.

“Wait, what’s going on? Who was that creep?” Jerome asked.

“Sorry about that everyone, just an over-enthusiastic member of the audience,” Mr. Sweet attempted to calm the audience.

“Are you okay?” Nina asked me.

“Yeah, you?”

She nodded as Mr. Sweet finished his damage control. The audience clapped once again for our performance, and the rest of the cast exited the stage to get out of costume. Patricia turned and thrust her staff at Mr. Winkler before grabbing my arm and pulling me towards the wings.

“Where are we going?” I asked her at the same time Nina and Fabian voiced the same question.

“To find Joy, she’s in danger,” she answered before turning to me. “Did you see which direction she went?”

I nodded and took her the way I’d seen Joy escape through the wings. When we reached the hallway Patricia burst through the double doors, yelling for Joy continually.

“We should check the classrooms,” I offered.

“That’s where I’d hide if I were running from Victor,” she agreed.

I tried the door to the biology lab, but it was locked. I held up my hands to the glass to try and see inside, but the room was too dark. I moved on to the next classroom when I couldn’t find anything. This door was open but was empty when I opened it.

After Patricia and I checked three more classrooms I sighed loudly.

“She’s not here,” I said. “She must’ve left.”

“I hope Victor didn’t find her,” Patricia mumbled to herself. 

We rounded the corner of the hallway only to run into my sister and Fabian, who were talking intently when we interrupted 

“We’ve looked everywhere for Joy,” Patricia said. “What if Victor caught her and murdered her?”

“We don’t know Victor was talking about Joy,” I said.

“We can’t assume that,” Nina agreed.

“Yeah, maybe he meant Rufus,” Fabian pointed out. “He was in the audience too.”

“Well that’s just as bad,” Patricia whined. “I’m gonna start taking this personally.

“It can’t be Rufus,” Nina argued. “We saw him disappear out the back. We know he’s safe.”

“Oh no, what’s the time?” Patricia asked.

“Almost eight,” I said, checking my phone.

“He’ll be waiting for me,” she hurried past us. “I have to go.”

“Are you sure you should go to meet him? Fabian asked as she ran, but Patricia didn’t turn back to respond.

“I don’t have a good feeling about that,” I said.

“Neither do I,” Fabian agreed.

“That makes three of us,” Nina said.

Silence fell between us as we went quiet, lost in thought, or worry. Patricia had blind faith in Rufus that the rest of us didn’t, and that’s exactly why we were concerned. After a moment I decided to return to the lounge, and let Nina and Fabian continue their talk. When I turned the corner I was greeted by Mara pacing outside the entrance to the lounge. She wore her regular clothing, with her naturally wavy hair. It was shocking to see the normal Mara when just this morning grunge Mara was sitting next to us at breakfast.

“Mara, are you okay?” I asked.

“Mick is in Mr. Sweet’s office,” she blurted out. “They’re talking about the photos I sent. Mrs. Robbinson was laid off, and Mick’s next. Mick asked me out during the intermission, and I said yes. But I still haven’t—”

“Woah, hold on.” I held up my hands. “One thing at a time, start chronologically.”

“Mrs. Robbinson was fired before the play started,” Mara started.

“And that’s why you and Mick missed the opening,” I guessed.

“Mick talked to me in between our scenes about us and how much he regretted what he said,” she continued. “He asked me to be his girlfriend during intermission and I said yes.”

“But you didn’t tell him about the pictures?”

“No,” she confirmed. “And then after the play, Mick was talking to me about how happy he was, and that he didn’t care if Mr. Sweet expelled him. I tried to tell him then but Mr. Sweet came to get him and now I’m outside his office thinking if I tell Mr. Sweet it was me.”

I sighed, Mara had shot herself in the foot. She’d sent the pictures of Mick and Mrs. Robbinson and now they both might be gone. She let the jealousy get the better of her, but she didn’t even know it.

“You should try to stop it,” I urged. “At the very least be honest with Mick.”

“He’ll hate me,” she sulked.

“He’ll be mad, but he needs to know the truth,” I explained.

“You’re right,” Mara sighed, holding her hands over her face. “I’m gonna do it.”

I shot Mara a comforting smile as she knocked and entered Mr. Sweet’s office. When I arrived in the lounge Nina and Fabian hadn’t returned yet, but I spotted Amber sitting at the edge of the stage. 

She smiled as I sat next to her, grabbing my arm and pulling me to meet her. I filled her in on the two pieces from the safe, but our conversation was shortened when Nina and Fabian joined us. I debated on telling them about the photo I’d found but chose to keep it a secret for now.

“Victor’s watching us,” Nina observed.

“Do you think he knows we have the pieces?” I asked.

“No, he hasn’t had time to go back to the house,” Fabian noted.

“It must be about the play,” I said.

“That’s not much better,” Nina said grimly.

“I think it’s just his usual look,” Fabian joked before sighing. “I’m worried about Patricia, we should’ve tried to stop her.” 

“Have you met Patricia?” Nina asked rhetorically. “Because there’s no stopping her when she wants to do something.”

We laughed collectively, relieving some of the tension from the night. We talked for the rest of the party, eventually relaxing and ignoring Victor’s suspicions.

* * *

I huffed, staring at the cookie dough in front of me. Something was off, and I couldn’t put my finger on it. I’d been baking since the play ended, trying to distract myself from Patricia’s potential danger. I’d decided on oatmeal chocolate chip cookies—my favorite—as a way to cheer myself up. I had the recipe memorized, so I thought, but something didn’t taste right.

I studied the ingredients in front of me: brown sugar, table sugar, rolled oats, chocolate chips, and cinnamon. 

“What am I missing?” I asked aloud.

“Are you baking?” a voice from the dining room made me jump.

I’d been so focused on what was happening with my cookie dough that I’d failed to notice one of Amun Boarding School’s infamous pranksters enter the dining room. Jerome was leaning against the half wall, gazing at me through the opening.

“Did I scare you?” He asked.

“I’m making cookies,” I answered his first question.

“What kind?” Intrigue filled his eyes.

“Oatmeal chocolate chip.”

His face contorted. “I don’t think I’ve never had that.”

“They’re my favorite,” I explained.

“Well if they’re your favorite Then you have to let me try the batter,” he explained.

“Actually, I could use your help,” I realized.

I gestured for him to join me in the kitchen, and scooped some of the batter onto a spoon. Jerome took it gently when I offered it.

“Well?” I asked.

“It was good,” Jerome noted. 

“You’re no help,” I groaned.

“What?” He chuckled.

“Something’s missing from them, and I can’t remember what it is,” I admitted.

“You don’t have it written down?” 

I thought back to the day we founded Sibuna, and how I sacrificed the recipe to the fire. At the time, I’d had it memorized and I kicked myself for not writing it down then.

“I left it in Ohio,” I lied. “I thought I had it memorized, clearly I was wrong.”

“You could check the pantry, maybe you missed it.”

“That’s,” I paused. “Actually a good idea.”

He chuckled and motioned for me to follow him to the pantry. Jerome clicked on the light as I scanned the spice shelf until I landed on something familiar. 

“NUTMEG,” I shouted, grabbing for the container the moment I saw it. “Of course, how could I have forgotten.”

“Of course,” Jerome agreed.

I rolled my eyes at him before returning to the kitchen, Jerome following. I folded the right amount of nutmeg into the batter hastily. I was pouring all my energy into this batch of cookies, even if some of the batter was missing. When I finished, I took two new spoons and scooped the dough onto them. I handed one spoon to Jerome and kept the other for myself.

“This is better,” Jerome noted.

“Without a doubt,” I concluded.

Despite how elated I was about getting the recipe correct, however, a bubble of guilt rose in my chest. How had I forgotten my own mother’s recipe? I’d made this recipe three times a year, at least, what was so different now that made me forget?

“Earth to Elizabeth,” Jerome waved his hand in front of my eyes, saving me from my thoughts.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Are you okay?” He asked with his eyes squinted.

“Yeah, just got distracted is all.” I cleared my throat. “I should finish up.”

“Do you want help?” Jerome asked as I started to roll the cookie dough onto the baking sheet.

“Sure, you can help roll the dough,” I shrugged.

We spent the next few minutes rolling the cookies in silence. This was easily the most satisfying part of making cookies, as it was very methodical. After a while, it becomes second nature, and your mind is able to wander. I couldn’t help but think of my mother, and how her birthday was coming up. She would’ve been 43 this year, I remembered. 

“So, these are your favorite?” Jerome broke the silence.

“Yeah,” I said softly. “They’re simple but delicious.”

“What about a regular chocolate chip cookie?”

“Not the same.” I shook my head. “They aren’t as homey.”

“Hmm,” Jerome considered. “How do you feel about oatmeal raisin cookies?”

“Ew,” I scrunched my nose. “Raisins do not belong in cookies].”

“Agreed,” he nodded. “I like peanut butter cookies the best.”

“Those are good, too,” I acknowledged. “But better with chocolate chips.”

He let out a laugh.

“Every cookie can be improved by chocolate chips,” I continued.

“What about sugar cookies?” Jerome countered.

I hesitated, considering what it would taste like. 

“_ Most _ cookies can be improved by chocolate chips,” I corrected.

“Am I doing this right?” He gestured to his section of cookie balls.

“Well, not really,” I said after a glance at his work. “But, there’s not really a wrong way.”

“I’ve never made cookies before,” he explained.

I stopped rolling the dough to take a closer look at Jerome, remembering that he’d been here since he was five.

“Did Trudy ever let you help?” I asked.

“Trudy came when I was twelve,” he explained. “Before her, there was a mean old woman called Doris. She hated most of us but especially me. She never let us near the kitchen.”

“I’m sure that put a damper on your late-night movie marathons,” I noted.

“We made it work,” Jerome smiled to himself. “When Trudystarted here Alfie and I weren’t exactly interested in baking.”

“Right, just the eating.”

“Precisely.” he paused as he finished rolling his last cookie. “What got you so interested in baking?” He questioned, going to the sink to wash his hands.

“My mom and I used to bake together when I was little,” I told him. When I looked up at Jerome his expression was soft, a nice change from the way he normally presented himself. 

“Do you bake a lot?” He continued.

“Yeah, my mom really inspired me,” I explained. “I learned everything I know from her.”

“Like putting nutmeg in cookies?”

“Nutmeg was her favorite ingredient,” I smiled.

“I can see why,” he regarded the cookies.

At this point, I’d finished rolling the last ball and set it on the baking sheet. My hands were coated in sugar and chocolate, but Jerome was blocking the sink.

“I, uh, need to wash my hands,” I gestured my dirty hands in the air.

“Oh,” he realized, mouth forming an ‘o’ as he stepped to the side. 

I thanked him and walked to the sink.

“How long do these go in the oven for?” He asked, opening the oven door.

“Twelve minutes,” I informed him.

When I started to clean up, I was surprised to find Jerome assisting. I figured he’d ditch me when we got to the cleaning portion of the process, but I didn’t protest when he put the ingredients away and wiped off the counter. We cleaned in silence, but it was a peaceful quiet. 

Once I washed the last dish I turned around sharply but bumped straight into Jerome. I recovered quickly and took a step back.

“Sorry,” I said. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he shrugged. He stepped toward the counter to give me room to pass but my sister’s voice pulled my head in the opposite direction.

“Lizzie?” she called as she entered the dining room. “Oh, there you are.”

“Yeah, I made—”

“Cookies,” she nodded when she met us in the kitchen.

She eyed Jerome as she walked in, suddenly becoming tenser. 

“What’s up?” I asked, noting her odd demeanor.

“We should call Patricia,” she said vaguely after glancing at Jerome once more.

“Right,” I remembered.

“Patricia?” Jerome asked. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” I lied to him. “She just had a date after the play, hopefully, it’s going well.”

“We’re just gonna call to make sure,” Nina joined.

“Can I trust you to take the cookies out if I’m not back in time?” I asked.

“Of course,” he said stoically, placing his hand over his heart.

“And you have to promise Alfie doesn’t eat all of them,” I continued.

“I promise,” he started. “To try my best.”

I rolled my eyes at him gently as I turned and followed my sister out of the kitchen. We went to Fabian’s room, Nina not even knocking before she entered.

“I’ll call her,” I said after shutting the door. 

I dialed Patricia’s number and set it to speaker mode for Nina and Fabian. We listened to it ring twice before she picked up.

“Hello?” Her voice sounded from the phone.

“Hey, it’s us,” I answered. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, yeah,” she reassured. “Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

“Where are you?” Nina asked.

“We’re going to meet Joy, I’m with Rufus,” she explained. “Hey—”

Her voice shrieked before the line went dead.

“That’s weird,” Nina observed.

“I’m more worried now than I was before the phone call,” I stated.

“Her battery’s probably dead,” Fabian offered. “She never charges it.”

“Probably,” Nina agreed. I wasn’t as positive but was equally hopeful so I nodded with her.

“Oh, I totally forgot to tell you,” Fabian gasped. “Patricia got a secret message from Joy telling her to meet up at nine. It was mirrored writing on the card she got.”

“That’s kind of big information to forget to tell me,” Nina exclaimed.

“Maybe Joy will have some answers,” I hoped.

“Let’s hope so,” my sister agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These past two chapters have been very Sibuna-heavy since it's the middle of the season, but the pacing will change in the next few chapters! Thanks for reading <3 next chapter on Tuesday!


	17. House of Hazards / House of Charades

The morning after the play I went down to breakfast with the rest of Sibuna, aside from Patricia. We figured she was still sleeping after being with Rufus and Joy last night. I made myself a coffee but skipped on the food, I’d eaten enough cookies last night that I wasn’t hungry. Jerome, Alfie, and I had been camped in the kitchen until past midnight snacking. I smiled to myself as I sat across from Fabian, who was talking enthusiastically about the play. 

“The look on Victor’s face last night was all the confirmation we needed,” he smiled.

“Yeah, but now he knows that we know, and we didn’t really have much of a plan after that,” Nina reminded him.

“He doesn’t know we have the pieces,” I pointed out. “We’re still in the clear there.”

“Exactly,” Fabian agreed.

My attention shifted when Mara walked into the dining room, eyes were swollen and her shoulders sagged. Clearly, her conversation with Mick and Mr. Sweet hadn’t gone well.

“Have any of you seen Patricia?” She asked lowly.

“Didn’t she come home last night?” Nina responded.

“No, Trudy said she’d gone out with her Aunt and Uncle after the play,” Mara explained. “But I thought she’d be back by now.

“Are you alright, Mara?” Fabian gave her a once over.

“No,” she cried. “I need to talk to Patricia.”

“You can talk to me,” I said to her. 

She considered my offer, but when Amber walked up beside her she shook her head instantly. 

“No, I can’t,” she sighed, leaving the room abruptly.

“Trouble in paradise?” Amber asked in an almost taunting voice.

“Sorry?” Fabian asked.

“Her and Mick,” Amber took the seat next to me. “They were girlfriend and boyfriend for all of one hour, and then they broke up.”

I debated telling them the details I knew but decided against it when I considered Amber’s near-vindictive attitude.

“Why?” Nina questioned.

“Who knows,” Amber rolled her eyes and returned to her breakfast.

“We should try and call Patricia,” I changed the topic.

“Where do you think she is?” Nina wondered aloud.

“Hopefully, with Joy and not with Rufus,” Fabian offered.

“I thought he was one of the good guys?” Amber asked. “Okay, it’s impossible to keep track, we need a newsletter.”

“I hope she’s okay,” Nina mumbled, ignoring Amber’s comment.

“Patricia’s very stubborn,” I reminded. “And she hasn’t seen Joy for a long time, it makes sense she’d want to spend more time with her.”

“You’re right,” she nodded.

Our conversation moved to our schoolwork when the rest of the residents joined us, aside from Mara and Patricia of course. I kept an eye on Mick, trying to gather if he was mad at Mara or disappointed. I wasn’t able to discern anything, but Amber had apparently also been watching Mick and picked up on his sour mood.

“You’re quiet Mick,” she started. 

“Am I?” he responded.

“Trouble in Mara-dise?” Amber tilted her head to the side.

I scoffed, nearly choking on my coffee as I looked to Amber.

“Wow, that was so clever,” she breathed. “Get it? Mara-dise?”

She said it slowly as if the pun wasn’t obvious, and Alfie’s shoulders shook with laughter from beside Mick.

“Ingenious, none of your business,” he said snarkily. 

“Ooh, touchy,” Jerome observed from the kitchen as Mick stormed out of the room.

“So, Alfie, are your parents still here?” Nina asked, trying to diffuse the tension.

“They leave tonight. Actually, there’s something I wanted to ask you guys.” Alfie paused. “I sort of got a bit carried away last night, and I may have led my parents to believe I’ve been promoted to, well, Head of House.”

“Oh, congratulations!” Amber said, before squinting her eyes. “Oh wait, we don’t have a Head of House.”

“That’s true,” Alfie confirmed. “So it’s not exactly a lie, now is it?”

“What do you want us to do?” I asked him, guessing that’s where this was going.”

“So, I was thinking,” he started. “When they came around if you guys could like—” 

“Bow down and kiss your feet?” Jerome finished for him, entering the dining room.

“Yeah, exactly!”

Fabian gave Nina and me an exasperated look, which Nina matched. I shrugged, not giving a lot of thought to Alfie and his lies. My mind was full of concern for Patricia, and even Mara. It was evident Mara was distraught from her fight with Mick, but she didn’t want to talk to me. I tried to push it out of my mind, but thinking about Patricia’s whereabouts was just as unnerving.

The rest of our breakfast went smoothly, with an almost-food-fight between Jerome and Alfie. I narrowly avoided being hit with muffin shrapnel but refused to buy into their fight and throw food back. When quarter to nine came around, I started to clean up my dishes when Mick and Mara rejoined us, both in a bad mood. Following them was Victor, who shut the doors of the living room upon entry. I shot my sister a wary glance as I returned to my seat, waiting for Victor’s reaction to the play last night. 

“Here we go,” Fabian said to us.

“Sit down,” he gestured to Mick.

“Is this about the play?” Fabian asked eagerly.

“Do you think I’m here to give you a review?” Victor responded. “Your juvenile fantasies are of no concern to me whatsoever.”

I tensed as he began to circle the dining table glaring at each of us like a shark circling its prey.

“I am here because a serious theft has taken place,” he stopped at the head of the table opposite Nina, gripping the back of the chair.

I refrained from looking in my sister’s direction to not look suspicious, but Victor lingered on the three of us nonetheless. 

“Items of great value were removed from my safe last night,” he circled the other half of the table and landed between Fabian and Nina. “Fabian, are you responsible?”

“No,” Fabian said with a stern look.

After Fabian’s answer, Victor turned to my sister, about to ask her the same question when Fabian interrupted. 

“What makes you think it was any of us?” Fabian accused Victor, who turned to him with a glare. “The school was full of people last night, when were they taken?”

“Well, they were there during the intermission,” Victor detailed, straightening his posture. “The only other time I was away from my room was during the second half of your irritating little play.”

“There you go, we were all on stage,” Fabian pointed out.

Victor eyed the rest of us, gaze pausing on me for a moment. My heart skipped a beat, 

“Yeah, couldn’t have been any of us,” Amber agreed. “We were performing.”

“All of you, except one,” Victor pointed out.

I fought to keep my expression neutral as Victor gripped the back of my chair.

“I was backstage the entire time,” I lied, voice wavering despite my effort. “You can ask Mr. Winkler yourself.”

“She’s right,” Fabian agreed. “Lizzie had nothing to do with this.”

Victor hummed, straightening from cowering behind me. 

“Of course, very well,” Victor said, a sinister smile plastered to his face. “Off to school all of you, go.”

I was quick to grab my bag and sling it over my shoulder, feeling like I was suffocating just being in the same room as Victor. 

“So is that it then?” Fabian asked, confused.

“Yes, but I shall discover who took those items, you mark my words,” he spoke darkly.

“What do you mean?” My sister asked.

“When the security cameras were taken down I asked for one camera to be left in my office, I’d totally forgotten,” Victor explained. “So whoever has stolen those items will have been caught.”

My stomach dropped, my heartbeat echoing loudly in my chest. If what Victor said was true, then Nina and I were in trouble.

“Victor!” Trudy said, coming through the hallway. “I’ve just taken a phone call from Mr. Sweet in your office. He said, ‘Can you get over to the school?’”

“What, now?”

“Yes, right away,” she continued. “He said it was an emergency.”

Victor huffed, exiting the room hastily. Almost everyone followed suit, aside from Fabian, Nina, and me. Nina’s face was pale, visible concern growing in her expression.

“We’re on that tape,” Nina said to me before looking to Fabian. “What are we gonna do?”

“You’ll be fine,” I explained to her. “I’ll take the fall for it and say I convinced you to come with me, that way you’re in the clear.”

“Are you crazy?” Nina asked. “I’m not gonna let you take the fall for this, it was my idea. You could get expelled.”

“Then I’ll get expelled,” I said simply. “What’s done is done.”

“No, no one’s getting expelled,” Fabian interrupted. “I have a plan.”

* * *

“Those cookies were amazing,” Alfie gushed to me. “You have to make more.”

Nina and I had barely gotten through the school doors when Alfie lept in front of us. I laughed at his sentiment, but Nina was too worried about Victor to do more than crack a small smile. She left when she spotted Amber at her locker, leaving me alone with Alfie.

“I can make them again,” I offered.

Alfie shook his head vigorously. “Do you do cake?”

“I do,” I nodded.

“Pie?” 

“Mhm.”

“Scones?” He asked un

“I could try,” I considered.

“Cupcakes?”

“You know Trudy exists, right?” I stopped him. “She can bake all of those, you don’t need me to.”

“You could bake together,” his eyes went wide.

“Is he bothering you?” A voice sounded from beside us.

The voice came from Jerome. He looked almost out of breath but was trying to keep it subtle. There was an energy lingering in his eyes, but I couldn’t discern what it was.

“No more than usual,” I responded, turning back to Alfie.

“Where’ve you been mate?” Alfie dropped the desserts and looked at his friend.

“Nowhere,” Jerome answered, taking a deep breath while he did so.

Alfie’s eyes scrunched as he studied Jerome’s expression.

“Are you planning a prank without me?” He asked, a look of hurt crossing his face.

“Of course not,” Jerome held his hand over his heart.

“Then what were you doing?” Alfie questioned.

“I left my textbook in my room,” he said thoughtfully. “So I had to run back.”

“Weird,” I said, “I must’ve missed you when my sister and I left.”

“Yeah, must’ve missed me,” he repeated. “Did Alfie tell you how much he liked the cookies?”

“He did,” I said with a chuckle.

“I think she should do pie next,” Alfie said suddenly.

“What type?” I asked.

“Any,” he shrugged. 

“Have you guys ever had pumpkin pie?” I realized, remembering it was November.

“No,” Alfie said after much thought. 

“Me neither,” Jerome shook his head.

“Really?” I looked between them. “It’s an American staple.”

“It sounds… weird,” Alfie admitted, his nose wrinkling.

I sighed, knowing that to people who didn’t grow up with it, pumpkin pie sounded atrocious. I wasn’t the biggest fan of it either, but I couldn’t help but miss it.

“I’ll ask Trudy if I can make one,” I said. “It’s not as weird as you think.”

“Pumpkin pie, you Americans really are weird,” Jerome laughed.

“Hey!” I exclaimed, hitting him softly on the arm. “We’re not  _ that _ weird.”

Jerome gave me a questionable look and I rolled my eyes at him in return.

“Okay, so we’re a little weird,” I relented. “But to me, you guys are just as weird.”

“Well, that’s just blatantly incorrect,” Jerome refuted.

I opened my mouth to retaliate when Victor came out of Mr. Sweet’s office, making direct eye contact with me. His gaze sharpened as he began to speak.

“Boarders from Anubis House,” he yelled through the hallway, pausing in front of me. “I want you back there immediately.”

He rushed past me before I could shrink away from him, but my eyes followed him until he left the hallway. My breathing was shallow, but I forced myself to take a deep breath and try to calm down. I was going to be expelled, most likely.

“You okay?” Jerome asked, watching me. 

His voice wasn’t filled with concern, and rather was laced with a touch of expectation.

“Yeah,” I lied, taking another breath. “We should get going.”

The walk to Anubis House gave me some much needed fresh air. For once, I wished I was sitting in French class rather than going back to the house. I racked my brain for a plan, but it was hard to focus when Jerome and Alfie kept talking as we walked to the house. 

When we reached the house I walked up the steps almost robotically and found myself sitting beside Jerome when we reached the living room. Amber, Nina, and Fabian were on the couch across from us, and Nina and I shared a worried glance. Fabian hadn’t told us his plan, but he didn’t look worried as he watched Victor open a DVD case.

“It’s showtime boys and girls,” Victor raised the DVD in the air. “It’s time to expose the thief.”

My body stiffened, wanting to look away from the television but too afraid not to. Victor pushed the DVD in, and on the screen where I expected my face to appear was instead Victor’s. My shoulders dropped with relief as I observed Victor trim his nose hairs, the rest of the house letting out a laugh. 

My gaze shifted to Fabian to see if this was his doing, but I found him already looking away from the screen. His eyes were focused beside me as he gave the person a knowing smile. I turned to the person in question, surprised.

“Did you help him?” I whispered to Jerome.

“Potentially,” he responded with a sheepish grin.

I began to mirror his expression as I registered that I wasn’t going to be expelled. I turned to my sister to see her reaction, but I didn’t expect to see her giving Fabian a kiss on the cheek. My mouth dropped with surprise, my sister wasn’t one for bold moves. I laughed as I took in Fabian’s reaction, his mouth agape and eyes wide. 

“Do I get a kiss on the cheek too?” Jerome asked, earning a playful hit of his chest.

“Which of you miscreants has dared to interfere with my equipment?” Victor’s voice echoed with rage through the living room.

“Dunno Victor,” Alfie said with a laugh. “But, uh, can we see more of your home movies? You’ve obviously got a nose for comedy.”

I chuckled as Alfie gestured to his nose when he finished his joke, as did the rest of the students. Victor stormed out of the room without any words, and I took the opportunity to turn to Jerome once I’d finished laughing.

“Why’d you help Fabian?” I asked him curiously

“I did him a favor,” he shrugged, face neutral.

“So, what did you ask for in return?” I furthered.

He scoffed lightly, “Contrary to popular belief, but my services do come free of charge.”

“That’s such a lie,” I rolled my eyes. “You charge the freshmen fifteen pounds per copied homework assignment, there’s no way you’d help Fabian for free.”

“How do you know I sell homework?” 

“You aren’t exactly subtle, Jerome, it wasn’t that hard to figure out.”

“Well,” he paused, considering his words. “I do things for my friends free of charge.”

“You and Fabian are ‘friends’?” I questioned doubtfully.

“I wouldn’t consider him and me friends,” he explained.

I looked at him with confusion, before the realization came to me.

“Are we friends?” I asked him.

“I’d like to think so,” he looked at me in the eye. “I mean, I don’t bake cookies with just anyone.”

“That’s because you never bake cookies,” I scoffed.

“Or is it because I haven’t found anyone I like enough to bake cookies with,” he countered.

“Not even Alfie?” 

“I’d never want to bake with Alfie,” he grimaced. “He’d just eat the uncooked dough.”

“And then whine when there aren’t enough actual cookies to eat,” I guessed.

“Exactly, it’d be a disaster,” he paused. “But it wasn’t one when we baked.”

“I guess you’re right,” I admitted. “So, then, according to your definition, that means we’re friends.”

“And what about according to yours?”

I considered his question thoughtfully, and our eyes were locked as I took my time to think about this one.

“By my definition,” I started, and Jerome’s eyebrows jumped with anticipation. “I consider us friends. I don’t tell just anyone about my mom’s secret ingredient.”

“Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me,” he smiled. “I think we’re off to a great friendship, Elizabeth Martin.”

“I think so too, Jerome Clarke,” I said as I matched his expression.

* * *

“It keeps sending me to voicemail,” I huffed as I sat down on the couch next to my sister.

We were convened in the living room, sharing our mutual concern for Patricia. Jerome and Alfie were setting the table—more accurately, joking around with the dishes—so we made sure to keep our voices hushed. Though every so often I’d catch Jerome’s eye from across the room, and noted to watch what we said.

“Trudy?” Nina called to her from the kitchen.

“Yes, sweetie?”

“Patricia’s been gone for a while now and—” Nina started.

“And we haven’t heard from her,” Amber finished.

“You mean she hasn’t come back yet?” Trudy gasped. “I just thought she’d gone straight into school this morning. Oh god, Victor!”

“No, no, no,” Nina stopped her. “Don’t tell him.”

“We don’t want to bother him,” I attempted, to no avail.

“Don’t be silly,” Trudy insisted. “Victor?”

“I heard you the first time,” Victor said as he entered the living room.

“It’s about Patricia,” Trudy told him. “She went out after the show last night with her aunt and uncle and well, she hasn’t returned.”

“Calm down, her aunt phoned me this morning,” he said calmly. “The uncle was taken ill during the night and they are currently at the hospital visiting him.”

Victor left the room promptly, without any more answers.

“Well, that’s a relief,” Trudy sighed, looking satisfied.

When Trudy was out of earshot, Nina leaned in closer to us.

“Now we know something’s up,” she noted.

“Why?” Amber asked.

“Because Patricia wasn’t with her aunt and uncle last night,” I reminded Amber.

“Oh yeah, good point,” Amber realized.

“Why would Victor cover for Patricia’s disappearance?” I wondered.

“I don’t know,” Fabian sighed. “But it can’t be good.”

“Where were Patricia and Joy supposed to meet?” Nina asked. 

“We should find the good luck card,” I offered.

“I’m heading back to the school to do some research on these,” Fabian held up the pieces I’d given him.

“And I’m going to go find that card in Patricia’s room,” Amber said definitively before raising her right hand over her eye. “Sibuna.”

We mimicked the gesture, and Amber left quickly to go to Patricia’s room. I considered joining her but reconsidered after how weird Mara had been at breakfast. It was clear she didn’t want to confide in me, despite the fact that she had before, I wonder what changed.

Nina, Amber and I reconvened in our room after Amber had found Joy’s letter. Fabian was still at the school, researching, but we didn’t hesitate to open the card without him. She held the card in front of the mirror, revealing Joy’s message.

“‘Meet me tonight—nine, clearing in the woods. Joy,’” I read aloud.

“I think I know where that is,” Nina gasped.

“We’ve been there before with Patricia,” we said together.

“Let’s go,” Nina said, reaching for her jacket.

“Aren’t we going to wait for Fabian?” Amber questioned, taking a seat on my bed.

“You know what he’s like when he’s doing his research,” she answered with air quotes around ‘research.’

“But it’s getting dark outside, and we have supper in half an hour…” Amber continued to list excuses, despite how Nina and I gave her an exasperated look. 

“Amber,” I sighed.

“Okay, I’m scared I admit it,” she relented. “But I don’t like going into the woods at the best of times, and this is like the opposite of that.”

“There’s three of us,” I pointed out.

“Yeah, if we stick together we’ll be fine,” Nina urged. “We owe it to Patricia.”

Nina left the room abruptly, leaving Amber and me to follow behind in haste. It was snowing lightly outside, but it didn’t stop the three of us from reaching the clearing in less than fifteen minutes. What did stop us, however, was a red van parked by the road, and Rufus getting out of it.

I grabbed my sister’s arm and pulled her back once I realized he was there. He was bent to the ground, looking for something in the street.

“What’s he looking for?” Nina whispered.

“Don’t know, but I think he found it,” Amber answered.

Rufus stood quickly, a shiny object reflecting in his hand.

“Is that Patricia’s ring?” I asked.

“I didn’t get a good look at it,” Nina shrugged.

We watched collectively as Rufus returned to his car and drove off, leaving dust in his wake. Once Rufus had pulled away, we ran to the side of the road where he’d been. I looked at the ground, thinking he might’ve dropped something that could tell us where he went.

“Guys look,” Nina pointed at the road. “It’s oil.”

Sure enough, there was a trail of oil that followed his path.

“Oh no,” Amber squealed. “Do I have it on my shoe?”

“Rufus’ van is leaking,” Nina breathed.

“Tell me about it,” Amber sighed. “One pair of limited edition shoes later.”

“We should follow it,” I suggested.

“Right now it’s the only lead we’ve got,” Nina agreed. “Maybe it’ll lead us to Patricia.”

“Alright,” Amber sighed, joining us as we started forward.

About five minutes later an old warehouse came into view. Rufus’ red van was nowhere in sight, but the oil trail led right to the building. 

“This is freaky,” Amber voiced once we arrived.

“Freaky? What’s freaky about an old abandoned warehouse in the middle of the woods?” Nina asked rhetorically, nerves evident in her voice.

“Do you think Patricia’s in there?” Amber inquired.

“The oil leads here,” I pointed out. “And we know they were together yesterday.”

“Let’s check inside,” Nina said, pulling Amber and me towards the door.

Amber was in the middle of another list of excuses by the time we reached the door. 

“Amber, it’s just a warehouse,” I said to her.

“We can handle it,” Nina agreed.

“Or we could just not go in,” Amber shrugged.

“There’s nothing to be scared about, okay?” Nina continued.

While they were talking, I stretched upward to the lock on the door and pulled at it. With a loud creak, the door to the warehouse swung open, revealing an old recliner chair and various blankets. Amber was the first one inside, headed straight for the chair.

“Look,” she said, picking up an take out container with a cheeseburger.

“It’s still warm,” Nina noted as she touched the top of it. “They’ve only just left.”

“This is the ring I saw Rufus holding,” I said, picking up a feather ring from the chair. “It’s Patricia’s.”

“She’s been here,” Nina confirmed.

“But where is she now?” Amber asked.

“And where’s Rufus?” I added.

“Lizzie, Amber, Ni—” A voice behind us yelled.

When I turned, all I saw was Patricia struggling against Rufus as he closed the door of the barn. We ran to the entrance but were too late, Rufus shut the door before we were able to stop him and locked it. We were stuck inside, and no one knew we were here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks for reading!! Next update will be on Friday instead of Thursday since I have a lot of schoolwork to do. Hope you guys liked the chapter, lmk your thoughts <3


	18. House of Rendezvous / House of Rescue

The echo of the iron door slamming shut rang through the empty warehouse. We stood together, looks of surprise mirrored on our faces. I scanned the warehouse, searching for a way to get out, but all the windows were locked shut.

“Can we smash a window?” Amber asked.

“They’re all locked,” I noted.

“Amber, did you bring your phone?” Nina inquired.

“Of course, this is me we’re talking about,” she flipped her hair over her shoulder and retrieved her cell. “Oh no.”

“What?” I asked carefully.

“I used up all my minutes voting on Celebrity Pop Fighters last month,” she told us.

“Amber!” Nina and I chorused.

“I hope your contestant won,” Nina crossed her arms.

“No, can you believe it?” Amber huffed. “After all I’ve done for her.”

“What a shame,” I said sarcastically.

“Honestly,” Amber agreed. “Anyways, we’ll have to use your phone.”

She gestured to Nina, whose face fell with realization as she patted her pockets.

“I have mine,” I offered, and Nina gave me a grateful look.

I reached in my back pocket, pulling out my phone swiftly. I searched through my contacts, deciding that Fabian would be the best option. However, when I held it to my ear I heard three solid tones rather than a ring. Confused, I took the phone away from my ear and tried again.

“Did he pick up?” Nina asked.

“It never rang,” I informed her. “I don’t have service.”

“We’re not  _ that  _ far from the school,” Amber said.”

“We’re on an international phone plan,” I reminded her. “Gran didn’t splurge on a very good one though.”

“So what do we do now?” Amber asked.

“Fabian will find us,” Nina answered hopefully.

“He might,” I agreed. “But we can’t count on that. We need to try and get out of here.”

“What do you suggest?” Nina sighed.

My gaze rotated through the warehouse, hoping to see something then that I glossed over before. My eyes landed on the hook of a crowbar peeking out hidden behind a cardboard box. Wordlessly, I took the minimal steps required to get to it and picked it up with enthusiasm.

“We could try using this,” I turned back to Nina and Amber, showing them what I’d found.

“Might as well,” Nina shrugged.

Almost an hour later, I huffed in frustration as I set the crowbar on the ground. Nina and I had spent the last thirty minutes trying to break the bars on the windows as Amber cheered us on from the recliner chair. 

“It’s hopeless,” Nina said as she retreated to the recliner where Amber sat.

“So what do we do now?” I asked. 

“We wait,” Nina sighed. “And hope that someone comes for us.”

“They better come soon,” Amber noted. “I need to do my skincare routine.”

“Skincare routine?” I asked. “It’s barely after seven.”

“It’s always time for skincare,” Amber informed me.

“Noted,” I said, taking a seat on the ground, defeated. 

“We could count sheep to pass the time,” Amber suggested.

“That’s for falling asleep,” Nina pointed out.

“Oh, yeah,” she sighed.

“Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall?” I offered.

“What’s that?” Amber asked half-heartedly.

“It’s a song, you count backwards,” Nina answered.

“How does it go?”

“Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of beer,” Nina and I sang together. “Take one down, pass it around, ninety-eight bottles of beer on the wall.”

“And then you keep going until you’re at zero,” I told her.

Amber joined in, and that’s how we passed the time. We made it all the way to zero, back to ninety-nine, and back to zero before we heard the lock on the warehouse door shift. Nina leapt up with excitement, Amber and I following her lead.

“Quick, he’s come back,” Nina said, thinking it was Rufus. “Grab something.”

I reached for the crowbar while Nina went for a can of paint, and Amber found a rowing oar lying behind some boxes. The three of us stood together, ready to attack—or attempt to attack—whoever was behind the door if need be.

The door swung open enthusiastically, and Nina charged at the figure. It was dark enough outside to where we couldn’t see who it was, so I followed Nina’s lead. The three of us came to a halt nearly before running into the person, recognizing who it was.

“Fabian!” We exclaimed together, dropping our makeshift weapons and pulling him in a group hug.

“I followed the oil leak from the van,” he explained after we broke apart. “I wasn’t sure if I was on the right path or not.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy to see anyone in my entire life,” Nina gushed.

“Did you see Patricia?” I asked.

“No, but I overheard Mrs Andrew’s and Mr. Sweet talking about her,” Fabian explained. “I’ll tell you the rest on the way, but right now we need to go.”

We nodded and the four of us left the warehouse quickly. Fabian’s flashlight was the only way we were able to return to the school, as neither Nina, Amber or I had brought one. On the way, Fabian rehashed the conversation he’d heard, and according to that Rufus was planning on trading Patricia for the elixir. Fabian told us that Victor wasn’t involved, and Mrs. Andrews was spearheading this behind his back. It seemed that Mrs. Andrews was an unexpected ally.

We ran through the doors of the school without caution, knowing that Patricia’s life could be at stake. I wouldn’t put it past Rufus to double-cross Mrs. Andrews, and who knew what he was capable of. Turns out, Mrs. Andrews was thinking similarly because we ran straight into her after we barged through the doors.

“Mrs. Andrews,” Nina started. 

“What on earth?” She exclaimed, eyes glossing over us.

“We know Patricia’s been kidnapped,” Nina and I said together.

“We know Rufus has got Patricia, and we also know that you know he’s got her,” Fabian jumped in.

“How—where did you get all this information?” She asked, startled.

“We know so much more than you think,” Amber answered. “We’re totally up to speed.” 

“We just wanna get Patricia back safely,” Nina explained.

“As do I,” Mrs. Andrews agreed. 

“Okay, so what is the plan of action?” Fabian continued.

“The plan is that you go back to your house and get ready for bed,” Mrs. Andrews started. “And I promise you that by the morning all this will be resolved.”

She pushed past us without a word, but just before she opened the door to leave Fabian stopped her with a question.

“You’re going to meet him, aren’t you?” He asked.

“Keep out of this Fabian,” she chastised as she turned around.

“We wanna come with you,” I voiced for the group.

“We’re not scared of Rufus,” Nina added.

“You have no idea what you’re walking into,” Mrs. Andrews refuted. “Besides, I couldn’t possibly allow children to get involved.”

“Well then you better have a time machine, because we’re already really, really, involved,” Nina explained.

“And you can’t go alone, he’s far too dangerous,” Fabian furthered.

“Right, and that is why you have to stay here.” Mrs Andrews wasn’t budging. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to get my coat.”

That was the end of the conversation, and she left the hallway without a glance back at us. I couldn’t help but worry at Patricia’s whereabouts, and I didn’t entirely trust Mrs. Andrews, even if she was more on our side than Victor.

“What do we do now?” Amber asked.

“We get on our bikes, and we follow her,” Fabian said with vigour. “Children? We’ll show her.”

We followed Fabian’s plan, and we ran to get our bikes. The school had a selection of bikes to use, so we grabbed those quickly and waited for Mrs. Andrews to leave. I hadn’t ridden a bike in a long time, but I was able to manage even with the cold temperatures. I half-expected it to start snowing but was very thankful when it didn’t. 

We followed Mrs. Andrews’ car until she came to a stop off of a back road about ten minutes away by bike. She drove away a few moments later, after taking a phone call. And, much to Amber’s dismay, we continued to follow her on our bikes until she reached the clearing.

When we arrived, Mrs. Andrews was already outside of her car, facing Rufus. They were glaring at each other intensely, and I started to wonder what their history was. Victor and Mr. Sweet seemed to hate him as well, but that didn’t give me any indication why. I caught myself getting distracted and returned to the task at hand, and starting looking for Patricia.

“I can’t see Patricia,” Amber whispered to us from our hiding spot.

“She must be in the back of Rufus’ van,” Fabian suggested.

“We should try and get to her while Rufus is distracted,” I added.

“Let’s go, we all know what to do,” my sister nodded. “We do all know what to do, right?”

None of us responded as we left our hiding spot and slinked around to the back of Rufus’ van. I peering around the corner of the van in time to see Mrs. Andrews as she dropped a package on the ground before retreating to the car. 

“We don’t have much time,” I informed the group.

“The door’s stuck,” Fabian whispered, panic evident in his voice.

Our conversation halted when we saw Patricia’s face in the window.

“Patricia!” Nina gasped.

“Are you okay?” I asked her.

“Yes, get me out of here,” she nodded.

Fabian reached for his backpack and pulled out the crowbar that I’d grabbed from the warehouse. He shoved it between the two doors, him and Amber pulling as hard as they could to get the doors to budge. 

I kept an eye around the corner, watching the exchange between Rufus and Mrs. Andrews. He’d picked up the package from Mrs. Andrews and was inspecting the contents. From this angle, I couldn’t see his face, but I could see Mrs. Andrews’ growing frustration as Rufus took his time.

“Hurry up, please,” I heard Patricia beg from the van.

I was about to look back to Fabian when I saw Rufus turn his back to Mrs. Andrews.

“Hurry,” I whispered as a warning.

“Come on,” Mrs. Andrews’ voice carried in the nearly empty street. “I want Patricia.”

“After I have checked everything out and everything is okay, then you get Patricia back,” Rufus shot back at her.

“We don’t have much time,” I said to Fabian.

I didn’t bother to listen to the rest of Rufus and Mrs. Andrews’ conversation, but I heard their bickering as I helped the rest of Sibuna wedge the door open. The sound of the car door shutting and the revving on the engine caused panic to course through my body. 

Finally, Fabian was able to free the tension from the doors and pull Patricia out just as Rufus was pulling away. I shut the doors behind her quickly, hoping Rufus wouldn’t notice the sound as he drove off without hesitation.

We pulled Patricia into a group hug, laughing off the adrenaline and revelling in the fact that Sibuna was back together again. I stepped away after a moment, remembering Mrs. Andrews. She was standing near her car, her hand over her face—she hadn’t noticed us.

“Guys,” I gathered their attention, pointing at Mrs. Andrews.

Collectively, we walked over to her, her face filling with relief when she saw Patricia.

“What on Earth?” She asked, registering all of us there. “Oh, Patricia, I’ve been so worried about you.”

Mrs. Andrews came forward to hug Patricia, who resisted her hug by pushing her arms away.

“Yeah right,” Patricia scoffed. 

“Patricia?” Mrs. Andrews sounded hurt.

“Come on? What’s the big mystery?” Patricia demanded, not missing a beat. “Why is Rufus after Joy and where is she? Tell me, or I’m going global.”

“Don’t threaten me, Patricia, you have no idea what you’re getting into.”

“Don’t threaten me,  _ Daphne _ ,” Patricia countered with spite. “I’m already in it.”

Mrs. Andrews didn’t respond, shocked by Patricia’s display of anger. She sighed and turned back to her car, leaving us alone on the street. No one spoke as the lights from her car disappeared, allowing us to wallow in our thoughts. Now that the adrenaline was gone, I was finally registering how cold it was, and it seemed the rest of Sibuna was as well.

We walked back to the house slowly since Patricia didn’t have a bike. She filled us in on what had happened with Rufus, and she finally seemed to understand our distrust of him now. We walked quickly, as the temperature was dropping severely. By the time we made it back to Anubis House my hands were numb from the cold, and I could barely open the door.

After changing into comfier clothes, I went to the kitchen to make some hot chocolate. My body still hadn’t recovered from the cool temperature, and I was in the mood for a pick-me-up. All of the cookies I’d made the other day were gone, thanks to Alfie, so the hot chocolate would have to do. 

I took my hot chocolate to the living room since we still had a bit of time before ten o’clock. I brought my copy of our English text with me, hoping to catch up on some of the work I’d neglected to do during my stress for Patricia. We were supposed to have read the first thirty pages, but I’d been so preoccupied that I’d just googled a summary instead. 

I’d only gotten through the first ten pages when I lost interest. My head was swimming with thoughts about the encounter between Mrs. Andrews and Rufus, and what their history was. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I paid no notice to the world around me until someone sat next to me on the couch.

“How’s the reading going?” Jerome asked.

“Oh, um, great,” I said, taken aback.

“The books closed,” he pointed out.

I looked down to see that he was right, I’d let the book close shut in my lap without me even noticing.

“I’m a little distracted,” I admitted.

“By what?”

“Everything,” I sighed, setting the book on the coffee table.

“Does it have anything to do with Patricia’s weird disappearance?” He questioned when I didn’t elaborate.

“She was with her aunt and uncle,” I informed him, though the lie left a sour taste in my mouth.

“Sure,” he almost chuckled. “Patricia’s gone to this school since she was twelve and I’ve never once even met her parents, let alone her aunt and uncle.”

“I guess they wanted to see her play,” I shrugged, ignoring the gnawing feeling in my stomach. “How were Alfie’s parents? I missed their visit.”

Jerome’s gaze lingered on mine for a moment before answering. 

“They were very impressed by Alfie’s ‘Head of House’ position,” he informed me.

“They actually fell for that?” I asked. 

“Not entirely, but I told them I rejected the position because I knew Alfie wanted it,” Jerome explained with a smile.

“I’m sure Alfie took that well,” I responded.

“There’s a reason all those cookies are gone,” Jerome pointed out. “So, how far are you in  _ Atonement _ ?”

“Not very,” I sighed. “I don’t find it that interesting so far.”

“Not when you have so many other interesting things going on?” Jerome suggested.

“Yeah,” I whispered, more to myself than to him.

“You can talk to me about it if you need to.”

I looked back to him, studying his gaze before answering. This was different than how he’d asked before, there was a want in his eyes that was startling. I hesitated, about to tell him everything about what happened with Patricia, Rufus, stealing the pieces from the safe, the picture of Anna—everything. But then I reconsidered.

“I’m just overwhelmed,” I explained. “I’ll be fine.”

“Right,” he paused, eyes shifting to the coffee table before back to mine. “Well, I can catch you up on what happened in  _ Atonement _ if you’d like.”

“You read it?”

“Don’t sound so surprised by that,” he smiled. “I’m not a terrible student.”

“I guess you’re right,” I picked up my hot chocolate and gave him my full attention.

“Well, the main character is Briony who’s very close with her older sister Cecilia,” he started. “Cecilia’s secretly dating their housekeeper’s son, Robbie Turner, but Briony doesn’t approve of their relationship. That’s basically all you need to know, the details aren’t important”

“Sounds familiar,” I mumbled, unintentionally thinking back to my relationship with Cameron.

“It’s not a bad read so far,” he continued. “If you find the time to continue it.”

“I’ll try and make time, it seems interesting,” I nodded.

Jerome smiled at me, and before our conversation could continue Victor’s voice carried throughout the house.

“It’s ten o’clock, you have five minutes precisely, and then I want to hear a pin drop.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then?” I said to Jerome, standing and grabbing my mug.

“Yeah,” he cleared his throat. “‘Night, Elizabeth.”

“‘Night Jerome.”

* * *

The next morning at school, the tension between Patricia and Mrs. Andrews was still heavy in the air. Mrs. Andrews announced in English that there would be a position of a School Representative, but Patricia outwardly denounced it in front of the whole class. Mara, on the other hand, seemed excited. She was perfect for the role, of course, and Mick had left this morning for tryouts so I’m sure she was grateful to have this distraction. 

“Are you feeling okay?” Nina asked me after class, on the way to her locker.

“That feeling is back,” I told her. “The one I had before Alfie was put in the hospital.”

“Do you think something bad is gonna happen?” Fabian asked curiously.

“I don’t know,” I sighed. “I wish I knew how to make it go away.”

“Maybe you’re psychic,” Amber suggested. “Can you tell me who’s on the cover of next month’s Vogue?”

“Definitely not psychic, Amber,” I laughed. “But thanks for your suggestion.”

Patricia interrupted our conversation, leaving Mara alone in her wake. I gave Mara a small smile, but she didn’t respond before she was distracted by Jerome and Alfie. My gaze lingered on the three of them for a moment, before Patricia’s voice drew me back to Sibuna.

“What do you think she meant by ‘the matter being at hand’?” She asked, referring to Mrs. Andrews’ statement from class after Patricia suggested a school newspaper instead.

“I think—” Fabian started, but was cut off when Victor appeared next to our group.

It was unnerving to see Victor in the hallway as opposed to Anubis House, normally we were safe from his scowl.

“You are to come with me if you want to know the truth,” he said quietly.

He didn’t wait for our response before turning on his heel and exiting just as quickly as he’d come in. With some hesitation from Amber, we eventually all followed his command and walked quietly behind him until we got to Anubis House.

I shot my sister a wary look as we walked up the stairs in a single-file fashion. The knot in my stomach grew tighter as Victor locked the door to his office after we entered, and it seemed Patricia had a similar reaction. She was nearly hyperventilating, and my sister was trying to help her. 

“Let me out,” Patricia begged at the door.

“Me too, I’m too young and pretty to die,” Amber joined Patricia melodramatically.

“You wanted answers, well,” Victor’s voice trailed off as he ignored their begging and turned his computer around.

On the screen was Joy. From my memory, it was hard to tell that it was actually her, but Fabian’s look of surprise—and a little bit of something else—was enough to tell me my guess was correct. 

“Patricia?” Joy asked, drawing the attention of everyone in the office.

“Joy,” Patricia breathed, taking a seat in front of the computer.

Amber joined her, while Nina, Fabian and I stood in the back. It was odd seeing Joy again, knowing what happened at the play. 

“I got your card, Joy,” Patricia started. “I came to find you, but—”

“They wouldn’t let me meet you,” Joy shook her head with an eye roll. “Too dangerous.”

“It’s okay, it’s not your fault,” Patricia responded. “So when are you coming back?”

“Hey, is that Amber?” Joy asked, dodging the question.

“Hey, Joy! I have so much to tell you,” Amber began. “Mick and I split up, and he’s totally devastated but pretending not to be. And Nina and Lizzie started school, they’re American.”

Joy’s gaze shifted to us in the back, giving us a once over.

“Hi, I’m Nina, from America,” my sister said awkwardly.

“I’m Lizzie,” I gave her a small wave. “We met at the play, kind of.”

“Yeah, I remember, I think,” Joy nodded. “So Nina, you’re the new me?”

Joy said it with the tilt of her head, and I could feel my sister tense beside me.

“Um, well, sort of,” Nina mumbled. “So, do you wanna tell us where you are?”

“No, she does not,” Victor answered for her.

“And Fabian’s here,” Amber diverted the conversation.

“Hey Joy,” he said with a wave.

“Fabes, hi,” she breathed.

I wasn’t the only one who noticed the way she looked at him, my sister took a long look at Fabian before returning to the screen.

“So when are you coming back?” Patricia asked again, moving past Joy and Fabian’s reunion.

“I’m not,” she said after a moment.

“What?” Patricia questioned. “Why not?”

“I can’t say too much,” Joy started. “But my dad says there’s someone after us. So we have to move away and change our names and stuff.”

“Rufus?” Patricia guessed, and Victor gave her a curt nod.

“I’m still your best friend Patricia, and I always will be,” Joy continued. “But it’s just too dangerous for me to be there anymore.”

“Off the webcam now Princess,” Joy’s dad appeared in the corner of the screen.

“Guys I have to go, but listen,” Joy said quickly. “Victor and the other teachers—”

“Joy,” her father warned.

“They’re protecting me,” she said finally. “You can trust them, okay?”

“Joy don’t go,” Patricia exclaimed. “I miss you.”

“I miss you too,” Joy’s smile wavered. “Bye.”

Joy left the screen after that, leaving an empty chair in her place. Her dad was still in the corner of the screen, watching us.

“Happy now?” He asked.

“But why is Rufus after Joy?” Patricia asked. 

“He’s not after Joy, he’s after me,” Joy’s dad said from the screen before he took a seat. “Hello, Patricia.”

“Mr. Mercer,” she greeted. 

“I work for the government,” he explained. “Zeno is after some top-secret information which we cannot let him have, it’s a matter of national security. Sorry, but that’s all I can tell you at the moment.”

“Very well boys and girls,” Victor turned the computer around. “Let’s wrap it up now.”

He stood and walked to the door with the keys jingling in his hand.

“And there’s one more thing,” he said as he put the key in the lock. “From now on, you are to go directly to the school and directly to the house afterwards. No one is to go anywhere without my knowledge, Rufus Zeno is still out there. Now go.”

After he was finished he swung the door open wide, and no one said anything as we filed out of the office. Once his door was closed behind us, Nina began to whisper.

“I can’t believe he’s put us under house arrest,” she grumbled.

“I can’t believe he’s one of the good guys,” Amber added. “He has such evil hair.”

“But is he good though, really?” Nina asked, mirroring my thoughts.

“Yes,” Patricia insisted. “You heard Joy.”

“At least we know Joy’s safe,” Fabian acknowledged as we made our way down the staircase.

“It’s pretty scary though,” Patricia admitted. “Having to reinvent yourself to get Rufus off your back.”

“She’s miles away Patricia,” Nina reminded her. “He can’t get to her now.”

“It’s not her I was thinking of,” Patricia said.

“Guys, gimme a minute,” Fabian pushed past us as we landed from the staircase. He ran off down the hallway and into his room, which gave Nina the opportunity to turn to me.

“You’ve been quiet,” she noted. “What’s up?”

“Something about that phone call seemed weird,” I voiced. “But I can’t put my finger on it.”

“It’s probably nothing,” Patricia spoke. “Joy wouldn’t lie to us.”

“You’re right,” I shrugged.

Though, despite Patricia’s hopeful words the knot in my stomach still remained. If anything, it was more prevalent now that we’d gotten an explanation. There were still so many questions, and my mind found it’s way back to the photograph of Sarah and Anna, wondering what their involvement was. Nothing was adding up, and I wanted to find out why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!! Thank you so much for reading, next update will be on Thursday :) A surprise update will be coming sometime this weekend to make up for only one update last week!! LMK your thoughts and suggestions down below, love hearing from everyone <3


	19. House of Arrest / House of Hoax

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mild PTSD (I added the tag today but just in case people don't see that I wanted to indicate it here as well)

“I’m taking these to school with me,” Fabian held the pieces in his hands. “I know Joy said that Victor was one of the good guys but I still don’t trust him.”

Fabian had just returned from his room, the clues in hand. Patricia crossed her arms as he spoke, but kept quiet nonetheless. I saw Nina open her mouth to speak, but Trudy interrupted her before she could say anything.

“Oh Fabian, be a love and give these letters to Victor,” she held out a manilla envelope and several smaller ones that he took quickly. “I’m off to the supermarket.”

“Are you getting canned pumpkin?” I asked.

“Of course sweetie,” she smiled at me. “We should be all set for your pumpkin pie tomorrow evening.”

“Thanks, Trudy,” I said as I mirrored her expression.

“If I don’t go now I’ll miss my bus,” she continued. “And then I have lunch with your uncle Ade.”

As she finished talking she pointed to Fabian, who’s eyebrows rose as his uncle came into question. Before we could ask questions, Trudy waved goodbye and zipped up her jacket with a swift exit. When she was gone, I caught my sister’s expression of confusion.

“I didn’t know you were making pumpkin pie,” she explained

“Oh, yeah, I decided on it a couple of days ago,” I informed her. “Alfie wanted me to make another dessert, and next Thursday would be Thanksgiving if we were back ho—”

“I think it’s a great idea,” my sister cut me off.

“I don’t,” Patricia spoke up. “Pumpkin pie sounds disgusting.”

“It’s an American staple,” I defended.

“Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?” Nina directed her question at Fabian, breaking up Patricia and I’s conversation.

“This one’s from the hospital,” he explained.

“It must be Alfie’s toxicology report,” Nina gasped.

“Right,” Fabian realized.

“The hall is not an area for loitering,” Victor yelled at us from above.

Fabian shuffled up the stairs awkwardly, delivering Victor’s letters before we went back to school. We made it back in time for English, and I shivered as I took my seat next to Amber. Mrs. Andrews started talking about the book we were reading, _ Atonement _by Ian McEwan, and I thought hard to remember what Jerome had told me the night before.

During our lunch hour, Nina, Fabian, and I were snooping in Victor’s office. I don’t know how they’d managed to talk me into stealing from his office, again, but my mind was put to ease when Fabian moved a fake squirrel in front of Victor’s camera. The three of us were free to search through his desk without bother, and I took the right side while Nina and Fabian took the left.

I wasn’t exactly looking for the toxicology report like they were. Rather, I was looking for the coins I’d found the night of the play, the copper ones with our names on them. While my sister shuffled through the middle drawer rigorously, I found the coins exactly where they’d been that night.

“Guys look at these,” I said. “I found these the night of the play.”

I set them on the desk and Fabian swiped one up immediately.

“These are creepy,” he noted.

“Very,” I agreed.

“They have our names on them,” Nina added.

“There’s one for everyone in the house,” I explained.

“I wonder what else he’s hiding,” Nina mumbled.

I gathered the coins, returning them to the drawer when Nina suddenly gasped. She gestured for us to come closer, her eyes never leaving the photograph in her hand.

It was a picture of a man who looked exactly like Victor, and a younger version standing beside him. They were in front of Anubis House, neither of them smiling. Nina must’ve found it when Fabian and I were talking about the toxicology report. I turned it over, looking for details.

“Victor Roddenmar Sr., with Victor Roddenmar Jr., 1922,” I read aloud.

“That’s Victor’s father,” Fabian realized. “That means the voice on the cylinders, and the photographs, they weren’t of Victor.”

“There were of Victor’s dad,” Nina and I came to the conclusion together.

“What does the toxicology report say?” Nina asked quickly.

“H2O,” he whispered. 

“Really?” I looked away considering everything we’d found.

“Water?” Nina breathed.

“Just a herbal concoction,” he corrected, setting the report down.

“So there’s no elixir of life?” Nina asked shoulders slumped.

“I guess not,” Fabian shrugged.

“We don’t know that for sure,” I said. “After all, it might’ve been the wrong bottle.”

Nina nodded, but a frown was just barely evident on her face. I cleared my throat and started to put things away, hoping they would follow my lead. They did, and within a matter of moments, we were removing the squirrel from the camera and leaving Anubis House. 

Back at the school, we reconvened with the rest of Sibuna to fill them in.

“So, Victor isn’t a hundred and twenty, and there isn’t an elixir, and the voice on Sarah’s recordings was Victor’s dad?” Amber asked.

“Wow,” Fabian didn’t hold back his shock. “You really were listening.”

“I know!” She exclaimed. “I find it helps to imagine I’m Mara, but only for a second because then it gets weird.”

“So, there is no mystery?” Patricia asked, bringing us back to the conversation.

“But none of it adds up,” Nina pointed out. 

A frown formed on her face when no one responded, not even me.

“You guys aren’t giving up on me, are you?” She asked.

“Of course not,” I said. “We’ll keep looking.”

However, Patricia and Amber’s response wasn’t quite as encouraging. Patricia avoided my sister’s gaze before taking Amber’s hand and walking away. Amber gave us an apologetic look as Patricia led her towards the lounge. My gaze shifted back to my sister, seeing the defeat in her eyes as she stared at the ground.

“Fine,” she mumbled, her shoulders slumped.

“No, no, Nina I was just thinking—” Fabian stuttered.

“No it’s okay Fabian, you don’t have to say anything. Maybe I was wrong.”

I’d never seen her so disappointed before, not even when she’d found out I was dating Cameron against her judgment. Nina turned out to be right not to trust him, unlike me she had good instincts. If she felt like this mystery still wasn’t solved, then it wasn’t.

“We’ll keep looking, you’re right, this doesn’t add up,” I gave her a pat on the arm.

Alfie came up to us, interrupting our conversation, and nearly out of breath. We watched him curiously as he spoke enthusiastically.

“Okay guys, all our year has to meet in the drama studio,” he said. “Mrs. Andrews has some big important announcement to make apparently. Hey, maybe they found the thief that stole the stuff from Victor’s safe or something.”

Nina and I shared a nervous glance as Alfie turned. She grabbed my hand, pulling me with her as we followed Alfie’s lead. Fabian didn’t join us, and I picked up on the fact that Nina wasn’t exactly happy with him either. He’d given up on her too, and I’m sure she was hurt by that.

Nina and I found where Amber and Patricia were standing and waited beside them. Fabian joined us a moment later, without his bag. He and Nina made eye contact, but she looked away quickly. As Mrs. Andrews started talking, I gave my sister’s hand a squeeze for support, reminding her she wasn’t alone.

“No that everybody’s here, I just want to let everyone know that we are officially moving ahead with our idea of a school representative,” she said from the stage. “And that person will be chosen from this year-group.”

“Is that it?” Alfie asked. “Boring.”

A chuckle murmured through the crowd as Mrs. Andrews frowned at Alfie’s comment.

“I thought it’d be some exciting mystery,” he sighed. 

“Be careful what you wish for,” Patricia said quietly, sharing a small smile with Sibuna.

“So do we have any nominations?” Mrs. Andrews continued.

“I nominate Mara Jaffray,” Jerome’s voice sounded throughout the room.

I followed it to see that he was seated on the armrest of Mara’s chair. I wondered when they had gotten so close, just earlier this term he was blackmailing her. She looked surprised he nominated her, and I could say the same for the rest of our year. 

Jerome was looking at Mara with something familiar in his eyes, but I couldn’t pinpoint it. It reminded me of his softer side, the one without pranks and selling old homework, and a seed of doubt sprouted in my mind. I thought that side of Jerome was a rarity, but this public display was proving that I was wrong.

“Very good, any other nominations?” Mrs. Andrews asked, gathering my attention again.

“I nominate Am—” Alfie started.

It was clear he was going to say Amber’s name, but she turned around and glared at him halfway through his sentiment.

“Uh, Amelia Pinches,” he finished uneasily.

Amelia Pinches was a girl from Hathor House, and her fiery red hair could barely be contained by her braids. She was notorious for her academics, and the closest person to Hermoine Granger that I’d come across in real life.

She gave Alfie a wave from the other side of the room, and the regret in Alfie’s eyes was visible to everyone. I gave him a quizzical look, happy to be distracted by my thoughts of Jerome.

“What? She’s qualified,” he stumbled for an excuse.

“Are there any other nominations?” Mrs. Andrews repeated, ending our short-lived conversation. “Nominations will close in five days time, thank you.”

With the assembly dismissed, we were free to carry on with our day. The rest of our classes went quickly, but I wasn’t really paying attention. I caught myself stuck in my own head, rotating between stressors. I was thankful when the day was finally over, ready to shut my brain off completely.

That night Nina and I shared a dream again. I knew when it was happening because it was from Nina’s perspective, and I could see myself sleeping across the room. It was an odd sight, but what was weirder was Sarah. She stood at the foot of Nina’s bed with a worried expression.

“Sarah?” I felt my lips move but it was Nina’s voice that echoed through the room.

“You’re not giving up on me are you, Nina?” Sarah asked. 

“No!” We exclaimed. “Never.”

“Good,” Sarah smiled. “Because it’s just beginning.”

She then started listing numbers. I was confused about what the numbers had to do with anything, and apparently Nina felt the same.

“Sorry, what does that mean?” Nina asked.

“02, 0, 1, 0, 01, 1, 9, 1, 5,” Sarah repeated, and then disappeared.

After Sarah left I returned to my own dream, where Cameron was standing in front of me. I was back in Ohio, standing in the driveway of our small suburban house. Cameron looked different, his skin was tan and his brown hair was longer than I’d last seen him. I was stunned at the sight, even if in a dream.

“Why are you here?” I asked him.

“I’m here to say sorry,” he said, a bouquet of flowers appearing in his hands.

“What for?” I needed to hear him say it.

“For the way I treated you.” He was crying now. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and I know what I did was wrong. I should’ve never treated you that way, and I’m so sorry I did. I hope you can forgive me.”

“I don’t know if I can,” I said after a moment.

“I can’t live with myself if you don’t forgive me,” his face contorted. “I need you to forgive me.”

“I can’t.” I shook my head.

“You can’t?” He scoffed. “I’m literally begging, and you can’t even do me the courtesy of giving me peace.”

“I don’t care about your peace anymore,” I said to him.

“Typical, our relationship was always like this,” he said, throwing the flowers to the ground.

When the flowers hit the pavement they exploded, and petals rained around us.

“I was always giving more than you, you never treated me like you loved me.”

“You’re lying.” 

“How can you even say that? Do you not hear yourself? I never asked you for anything other than to love me.”

“That’s—”

“The truth,” he said angrily. “And you know it.”

* * *

I woke up the next morning with a scratchy throat as if I’d been crying in my sleep. The contents of my dream resurfaced in my memory. I sunk back into my covers, confused about what the dream had meant. I hadn’t had one of Cameron since we’d arrived in England, and it was surprising for these feelings to return.

The dream was always the same. It started out simple with an apology and flowers. Then, when I don’t accept the apology it spirals into an argument, like clockwork. There was a time when I would have those dreams every night, even while he and I were together, and eventually, it stopped fazing me. This was not one of those times.

“Lizzie, are you okay?” My sister asked.

She was already awake, dressed for the day in her casual clothes. It was Saturday, the day I was making the pumpkin pie. 

“Yeah,” I cleared my throat. “Just had a weird dream.”

“You had it too?” She asked, sitting on the edge of my bed. “The one of Sarah?”

“Oh, yeah,” I responded. 

In my confusion over my dream with Cameron, I’d forgotten the one of Sarah.

“What do you think the numbers mean?” She whispered.

“I don’t know, but at least we know it’s not over,” I reminded her.

“You’re right,” she sighed. “Should we tell Amber?”

I glanced at Amber, still asleep in her bed. 

“Let’s wait, talk to Fabian first,” I suggested.

“Good idea,” she glanced over me with a quizzical look. “Are you sure you’re okay, you look a little off.”

“I had a dream about Cameron last night,” I admitted to her in a whisper.

“_ The _ dream?”

I nodded, Nina knew everything about my relationship with Cameron. She was the first person I told when I started having the dreams, so she was familiar with the content of them.

“It wasn’t any different,” I shook my head. “But I thought they were over.”

“What do you think caused it?” 

“I have no clue,” I lied.

I had a suspicion that the subject matter of our English text, _ Atonement _, was the reminder of my past relationship.

“He hasn’t texted you has he? Or his friends?”

“No, no, he hasn’t,” I reassured her. “You’d be the first to know if that happened.”

She nodded when Amber stirred in her bed and awoke from her beauty sleep. 

“I’m here if you need to talk,” Nina patted my hand before she stood, carrying on with her morning.

I skipped breakfast to lay in bed, the thought of eating made me want to vomit. I didn’t get out of bed until eleven, knowing that I couldn’t let the dream stop me from having a relaxed weekend. The idea of Cameron shouldn’t have that power over me anymore, but even as I thought that it was still difficult to believe. 

I was in the kitchen, starting on the pumpkin pie when Jerome walked in. Most of the Anubis House residents were outside, it had snowed for the first time this season.

“Working on the pie?” He asked.

“Yup,” I studied my recipe as I answered. “Why aren’t you outside?”

“I don’t like the snow,” he explained. “It messes up my hair.”

“Ah,” I said with a smile.

“Did you remember the nutmeg?” He asked.

I looked up at him with a smile.

“I did, thanks for your concern.”

“Well I wouldn’t want the pie to be inedible,” he tilted his head.

“You probably won’t like it,” I pointed out.

“What makes you assume that?”

“When we talked about it with Alfie,” I reminded him. “I’m not going to be offended if you don’t like it.”

“Isn’t it an American staple?” He questioned.

“Yes, but I grew up with it, you haven’t,” I said.

“What should I expect?”

“Um, pumpkin?”

“That was really helpful, thank you,” he said with a scoff.

“What else would you expect from a _ pumpkin _pie?”

“Will it be, like, chunky?” He said with a look of distaste.

I felt my nose scrunch as I matched his expression.

“Why on earth would it be chunky?” 

“Well I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I’ve never had it before.”

“It’s like a purée,” I explained. “It’s smooth, not chunky. Have you ever had key lime pie?”

“No,” he said warily. 

“It’s a similar texture,” I continued. “Maybe I should make that one next.”

“Let’s see how the pumpkin goes first before we make any rash decisions.”

“We?” My gaze shifted across his face.

“I’ll help,” he offered, not missing a beat. 

“Did Jerome Clarke just offer to do something nice?” A voice sounded from the living room. “Are you feeling alright?”

It was Patricia, her hair was wet from the snow but she’d pulled it into a bun. 

“Why does everyone think I’m so selfish?” Jerome said before pausing. “Nevermind, don’t answer that.”

“Is this the gross pie?” Patricia asked, coming into the kitchen.

“Yes, the _ pumpkin _ pie,” I nodded. “Is about to go in the oven.”

“Gross,” she said as she reached for a bag of chips from the cabinet. “Tell me when it’s done so I know to avoid the kitchen.”

“Will do,” I said with a chuckle.

She left the room with a loud crunch of her potato chips, leaving silence in her wake. 

“She doesn’t seem optimistic,” Jerome noted.

“It’s Patricia, are you surprised?”

“Good point,” he said. “So how long until the pie is done?”

“It bakes for about an hour and then has to cool for three.”

“Three hours? That feels excessive,” he commented.

“I agree, but I don’t make the rules,” I shrugged, putting the last of the pumpkin filling into the precooked crust.

“Rules are meant to be broken,” he countered.

I rolled my eyes at him.

“Not when it comes to baking,” I picked up the pie. “Could you open the oven for me?”

Wordlessly, he stepped to the oven and opened it, allowing me to place the pie on the middle rack for an even bake. Once the pie was secure, I reached to close the door when I caught Jerome doing the same. I rebounded from his touch as a reflex, but he didn’t. 

I cleared my throat as I stood, watching Jerome close the door with ease. I hadn’t noticed how close we were until he straightened, making us mere inches apart. Jerome brought his hand upwards to my face, landing on my cheek softly.

My breathing was shallow, and I could feel my heart battering against my chest. I was frozen—I didn’t know what to do. My skiing burned where his hand touched me, and continued to do so as his thumb swiped across my cheek.

“You had pumpkin on your face,” he whispered.

“Thanks,” I said breathlessly.

I stepped back from him, finally finding it in myself to move. I cleared my throat, trying to reduce the tension in my body without being too awkward.

“So, an hour until the pie is done, you said?” He asked, his voice an octave higher than normal.

“Yup, I’m gonna clean up.”

“I’ll leave you to it then, got homework and stuff to do.”

“Right, no worries,” I said, turning to the sink.

I focused on the dishes, and only when I knew Jerome was gone did I finally relax. Well, as much as I could relax. I rested my hands on the sink, closing my eyes and taking a few deep breaths. I instantly regretted closing my eyes, all I saw were images of Cameron from the dream I’d had the night before. 

_ He’s not here _, I reminded myself.

It took me a few minutes to return to the dishes, but I eventually calmed down.

* * *

The following Monday came quickly, too quickly. The pumpkin pie had gotten mixed reviews, but the general consensus was: “It’s not bad, I just wouldn’t eat it again.” With that note, I decided it was best to stick with cookies and more favorable pies for the future. 

Monday morning arrived and I was still reveling in the peace of the weekend when Nina informed me that Fabian had lost one of the puzzle pieces. She’d also told him about the numbers, but they weren’t getting anywhere with either.

That evening, after dinner, Amber, Mara, and I were sitting at the dining table. Mara was helping me with the biology homework, but Amber was doodling in her notebook absentmindedly. Nina and Fabian were on the couches in the living room, whispering with each other. It was most likely about the puzzle pieces, but I gathered from Nina’s frown that the conversation wasn’t going well.

“Listen up guys,” Amber said, putting on a floral headband. “Mr. Winkler said the Egyptians were really big on numberology, and I happen to know how to work out your favorite love match buy working out your numbers.”

In history class that morning Mr. Winkler had explained the concept of Numerology, where the Egyptians believed that every object in existence had a numerical value. Though Amber had gotten the name wrong, her heart was in the right place.

“Any takers?” Amber flipped open her computer.

“No thanks, there’s no science behind that whatsoever,” Mara said, returning to biology.

“What about you, Lizzie?” Amber suggested. “Maybe we can find your soulmate.”

“I don’t believe in soulmates,” I informed her.

As I looked up to tell her this I caught the eye of Jerome, who was washing dishes in the kitchen. I shied away from his gaze quickly, a shudder running down my spine as I remembered what happened on Saturday.

“What? Why?” She demanded.

I shrugged.

“Is it because of Cameron?” She continued. “Because you deserved so much better, and I haven’t even met him.”

“You can say that again,” Nina’s voice sounded from beside me.

“He wasn’t always bad,” I defended. “When we first started dating he was sweet.”

“Up until he cheated on you behind your back,” Amber pointed out.

Nina gave me a sideways glance, urging me to tell Amber the whole truth about the situation. But I wasn’t ready, and especially not to reveal it in front of Mara, let alone Jerome.

“Yes, up until then,” I agreed with a tight-lipped smile.

“I never liked him,” Nina recalled as she sat down beside me.

“I know,” I sighed. “You brought it up all the time.”

“And I was right,” she raised her eyebrows.

“Yeah, whatever,” I crossed my arms. “What do I have to do, Amber?”

Amber clapped excitedly, handing me her notebook. I was glad to divert the conversation, I’d had enough discussion of Cameron to last a lifetime.

“I just need your name and date of birth,” she explained.

I did what she asked and Amber put the information into her computer. A moment later, she let out an excited gasp as her eyes danced across the screen.

“What does it say?” Nina and I asked.

“Well, it says you’re a two, which means you’re ‘The Charmer’,” she began reading off the screen. “‘Intuition, compassion, and creativity are your greatest strengths. You are honest, friendly and always make everyone around you feel amazing.”

“That’s a stretch,” I scoffed.

Amber shot me an annoyed glance before she continued.

“You’re romantically compatible most with eights and nines,” she finished. “That’s funny, I’m a nine.”

“Maybe we should date,” I suggested.

“Sorry, Liz, I don’t swing that way,” she said truthfully.

“It would be better than your relationship with Cameron,” Nina muttered.

“Can we stop talking about him?” I snapped at her, causing an awkward tension around the room. “I can’t change the past. All I can do is move on from it but I can’t do that if you’re constantly bringing up how much of a mistake it was. I don’t want to be stuck in the past, and neither should you.”

I didn’t wait for Nina to respond as I gathered my things. Slinging my backpack over my shoulder, I practically raced out of the room, not able to breathe until I made it upstairs to my room. I sat on my bed, my face in my hands and trying to steady my heartbeat. 

Once I’d calmed down, guilt crept into my heart. I hadn’t snapped at her like that in a long time. We used to fight a lot, notably when Cameron and I were together, but as I rebuilt myself after the breakup she and I grew closer. We had differences, sure, but we were there for each other. 

So it wasn’t a surprise when there was a light tap on the door and Nina poked her head inside.

“Can I come in?” She asked softly.

I nodded, giving her the opportunity to come to sit beside me.

“I’m sorry,” we said at the same time, causing a light chuckle.

“I’ll go first,” I offered. “I’m sorry I snapped at you. It’s just a very sensitive topic, and that dream over the weekend really threw me off. I’ve been tense since, and I don’t want to keep rehashing what happened between Cameron and me.”

“You’re right, and I’m sorry too,” she grabbed my hand. “What I said was insensitive, and I should’ve known better. I just don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

“What would make you think that?”

She sighed, biting her bottom lip. “I know you’re getting close with Jerome, and that’s okay, I just don’t exactly trust him.”

“Jerome and I are friends, that’s all,” I explained. “If it was anything more you’d be the first person I’d tell.”

She nodded but was looking at the ground as she did so.

“I’ll stop talking about it,” she said, rejuvenated. “And if you come to me and want to talk about it, I promise I won’t say ‘I told you so,’ or make any mean comments.”

“Thank you,” I said with a smile.

I pulled her into a tight hug. I knew that Nina was always on my side looking out for me, even if it hurt sometimes.

“Anyways,” she said, pulling away. “I think I figured out the clues.”

I laughed at her ability to swiftly move on from our emotional moment. A few minutes later, Fabian and Patricia were in our room. Amber was still downstairs, focusing on her numerology, but we’d fill her in later. Fabian had brought a map of Anubis House with him and laid it out in front of us.

“Okay so, here’s a map of the house,” he pointed at the living room. “If Sarah’s numbers are coordinates then we’ll be able to use this to pinpoint a location which will, in turn, lead us to another clue. I—”

“They’re not coordinates,” Nina interrupted.

“They’re not?” Fabian’s voice faltered.

“Sarah’s a two,” my sister and I made eye contact. “Just like us.”

“Huh?” Patricia asked.

“It’s our numerology number,” I explained. “Amber figured ours out earlier.”

“The rest of the numbers are her date of birth,” Nina continued.

My sister picked up one of the rectangular pieces, beginning to put in the numbers. After the first two numbers, a rumble sounded through the house.

“What was that?” Fabian and I asked.

“I don’t know, but it’s freaking me out,” Patricia said as she looked around the room.

When the house settled, Nina continued with the numbers. When she put in the last two numbers the rumbling returned, but with more force. It was more aggressive and felt like what I imagined an earthquake to feel like. It got worse, knocking over the pictures on our shelves. I reached to grab the picture of my mother and I before it shattered on the ground, ignoring the pain in my elbow as I did so.

“I don’t mean to alarm anyone,” Nina said warily. “But I think the house is coming to life.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks so much for reading! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up, but I will be getting back into a steady groove starting today so please bear with me haha. LMK what you guys liked most about this chapter, or not, and even suggestions if you have any :) thanks for reading!! <3


	20. House of Time / House of Aliens

“Did you hear that little earthquake yesterday evening?” Trudy asked, pouring Patricia a glass of orange juice.

“That was no earthquake,” Alfie refuted. “It was definitely an alien mothership taking off.”

Trudy gave Alfie a pat on the head before she returned to the kitchen, the rest of the table giving Alfie a skeptical look.

“Patricia believes me,” he defended. “Don’t you, Patricia?”

“Sure,” she said in a high voice.

Alfie nodded, not picking up on Patricia’s tone as he left the room. Once he was gone, it was just Sibuna left at the table. Fabian leaned in to whisper to Nina and me.

“So I’ve been thinking about the fourth puzzle piece and how Sarah’s numbers opened it—” 

“Woah,” Amber halted in applying her lip gloss to glare at Fabian. “Rewind, you’ve opened another puzzle piece?”

Nina shushed her, returning to Fabian to hear what he was saying.

“Without me?” Amber continued. “So rude.”

We were all so shaken by the earthquake last night that we’d neglected to fill Amber in on what happened.

“Sorry Amber,” I offered. “It was a spontaneous thing.”

“I can’t believe you did that without telling me,” she looked us over. “Rude, again.”

“As I was saying,” Fabian disregarded Amber’s comments. “The fifth puzzle piece looks exactly the same, so are we assuming Sarah’s numbers open that one too?”

“Maybe we shouldn’t try it,” Patricia said. “Those noises terrified me.”

“Hang on, noises?” Amber questioned. “So it wasn’t an Earth tremor?”

“No, they weren’t,” I answered her. “And they might get worse if we open the other one.”

“What did you do with the riddle?” Fabian asked Nina suddenly.

“Riddle, what riddle?” Amber asked. “We have another riddle?”

Before I could tell her what we’d found after opening the piece last night, Patricia’s voice sounded from the other end of the table.

“Amber, will you stop repeating everything?” She whined.

“Well no one tells me anything apparently,” she bit back.

During their exchange, Nina handed Fabian the crumpled piece of paper.

“‘My father’s father stands tall,’” he started. “‘His face and hands together turn circles around Isis and Osiris and Horus the son reveals me.’ I thought these things were getting easier.”

“I guess not,” I mumbled, taking a bite of toast. “How is sun spelled?”

“S-o-n,” he answered. “Not like the sun in the sky.”

“I wonder why,” Nina mumbled.

Our scheming was cut short when the rest of Anubis house entered the kitchen for breakfast. We ate in leisure while Alfie’s persistence about aliens distracted all of us. It was a weird type of normal, but I was glad for it to be happening.

Nina, Amber, and I walked to school together, Amber filling us in on how Mara and Mick’s numerology numbers were compatible. I didn’t find this fact very surprising, but I kept that to myself. Nina interrupted her, saying we should go visit Sarah when we got the chance, and I agreed with her. 

Once we arrived at the school I ditched my winter coat at my locker and headed for the bathroom. I was at the sink washing my hands when Mara came out of one of the stalls. We smiled politely as she joined me at the sinks, but a moment later she broke the silence.

“I’m sorry if I’ve been acting weird to you lately,” she sighed. “It’s just, Patricia and I are really close and I saw her getting close with you, Nina, and Amber, and I felt like I was losing her. We’re better now, but I wanted to say sorry for pushing you away.”

I was taken aback by her apology. It had bothered me that she stopped talking to me, but I’d been so wrapped up with Rufus kidnapping Patricia, then the resurgence of my dreams that I’d forgotten all about Mara.

“That’s okay, I understand,” I said to her, drying my hands with a paper towel as I did so.

“Great,” she smiled. “Because I kind of need to talk to someone about something.”

“Not Patricia?” I asked curiously.

“No, she’d just laugh and say it was a prank,” Mara finished drying her hands before turning back to me. “So, can I tell you? I’ve been dying to tell someone.”

“Go ahead,” I chuckled.

“Jerome just asked me out,” she said with a laugh.

“Oh… my god,” I faltered. “That’s—”

“So weird, right?” She interrupted.

“Right,” I mumbled, looking at the ground.

“I told him no, obviously, because of Mick,” she continued without notice of my lack of enthusiasm.

A wave of relief washed through me as I registered her words, but there was still a twist in my gut that brought a nauseous feeling to the back of my throat.

“But then he blew up at me, calling Mick a meathead with no future,” she huffed. “It was pretty dramatic if you ask me, and totally out of line.”

“Totally,” I agreed, not really listening to what she said.

“I’m glad we’re talking again,” she rested her hand on my arm, pulling me back to our conversation. “I missed us being friends.”

“Me too,” I managed. 

She smiled brightly before turning on her heel and exiting the bathroom. When she was gone I dropped my smile, still trying to wrap my brain around what I’d just heard.

Jerome asked Mara on a date. I couldn’t comprehend why this information was so shocking to me, and why it left me feeling sick. Jerome and I were friends, and I should be happy he’d try and go after who he wanted, so why did it hurt so much to know it was Mara?

I splashed some water on my face, trying to wake myself up. Clearly, I hadn’t gotten enough sleep. Or I needed more coffee. That was the only explanation as to why I felt so weird. I sighed, baffled, and exhausted of my own thoughts. The longer I contemplated why I was upset, the more confused I became.

I left the bathroom shortly after that, needing to continue moving as if nothing happened, that was the only way to distract myself. The bell for the next class rang right as I stumbled through the door of our french class, Mrs. Andrews gave me a sideways glance as I did so.

“Punctuality is an art, Mrs. Martin,” she reprimanded.

“Sorry Mrs. Andrews,” I said almost robotically.

I scanned the room looking for an empty seat, only to find the one desk without a student located next to the person I didn’t want to think about: Jerome. My lips pursed as I sat down, avoiding his gaze, and taking out my french work. 

Mrs. Andrews began teaching, but I wasn’t listening to anything she was saying. I mindlessly watched her mouth move without paying attention to what she was saying. All I could think about was what Mara told me. I hoped the confusion would diminish, but it was still just as prevalent. Apparently, Jerome wasn’t paying attention either, because he turned to me subtly after a few minutes.

“Is everything okay?” He asked.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?” I responded curtly.

“You just seem tense,” he noted. “Anything I can d—”

“No,” I interrupted, finally looking him in the eye.

He looked as confused as I felt, but minus the anger. I couldn’t decipher why I was angry, exactly, because Jerome was entitled to ask out whoever he wanted. But, I think a part of me hoped if there was anyone he’d ask out, it might’ve been me. Clearly, I was wrong.

“I’ll be fine,” I continued.

“Is this about what Nina said after dinner yesterday?” His voice was softer. 

I closed my eyes, remembering that he’d been doing the dishes when I snapped at my sister last night. I’d forgotten he’d been there, and I wished it stayed that way. I didn’t need Jerome, of all people, asking questions about Cameron.

“It’s personal stuff,” I said.

“You can talk to me,” he urged.

“No, I can’t.”

My voice was barely a whisper, and even I was surprised at how quiet I’d managed to speak. But Jerome must’ve heard it because he dropped our conversation after that. I turned back to Mrs. Andrews, talking about reflexive verbs but the ache in the back of my throat kept me from retaining any information.

* * *

When classes were over, I was barely able to grab my coat from my locker when Nina pulled me away. Amber was with her already, but when we spotted Patricia, Nina motioned for her to join us.

“Everything good?” I asked as her grip loosened on my arm once we were outside the school. 

“It’s about the puzzle pieces,” she explained.

“What about them?” Patricia asked. “Did you figure out the clue?” 

“I’ll tell you more when we get to the house,” she said.

Fabian was already in our room when we arrived, shoes wet from the snow outside. I dropped my things on my bed quickly, and as soon as we were settled Nina started talking.

“We need to talk,” she started. “About the house, the relics, the earthquake—”

She was cut off when Alfie barged into our room, holding up a toothbrush.

“I thought as much,” he said slowly. “What do you know about the relics and the quakes?”

He motioned his toothbrush at each of us dramatically. When none of us answered him, too stunned to come up with a good lie, he continued.

“Where have they come from? Or should I just ask Victor what’s going on?”

Alfie made his way to leave the room, but Fabian stopped him.

“Alfie, look, the thing is,” Fabian gave Nina and me a quick glance before continuing. “You were right. You were right all along, the thing you found was a real alien artifact.”

I squinted before recalling our meeting yesterday. Fabian had accidentally lost one of the identical pieces, and Alfie had been the one to find it. Somehow, Patricia got it from Alfie and returned it to Fabian, and that’s the one we opened last night.

“And we’re scared that aliens may have infiltrated the school,” Fabian continued. “We don’t know who they are, what they want, or if they want to harm us. Right guys?”

We chorused a variety of agreements, knowing that Alfie being ignorant of the truth was safest for him. Alfie was hanging onto our every word, probably ecstatic that someone was finally on his side about aliens.

“It’s really,  _ really _ , important that we keep this to ourselves,” Fabian finished.

“Well how about I do some research on the internet,” Alfie offered. “See what we need to do to protect ourselves.”

“That’s a great idea,” Fabian agreed. “And take all the time you need, I know we can count on you, Alfie.”

Alfie left the room quickly, Fabian shutting the door behind him with a loud sigh.

“Aw, I feel really mean,” Patricia voiced. “He’s been really nice to me the last few days.”

“You’re always mean,” Amber pointed out. “But  _ I _ was mean, and that’s unusual.”

“He was so excited,” I noted.

“We’re protecting him,” Fabian explained. “It’s better that he spills some ludicrous story about aliens than about the you-know-what.”

Fabian was right, but the lie still left a bad taste in my mouth.

“Okay guys, can we get back to the reason we called this meeting?” Nina wasted no time in bringing us back to our original conversation. “The puzzle piece that we found in Victor’s safe, I think that was the one that was originally in the clock.”

“Which explains why it wasn’t there just now,” Fabian realized.

He must’ve figured out the clue during class, and looked for it in the clock, I put together.

“But I don’t think Victor would’ve managed to open it and find what was inside it,” Nina went on. “Because he wouldn’t have known the numbers.”

“Sarah’s numbers?” Fabian asked. “He might’ve.”

“Sarah’s numbers don’t open the other piece,” Nina informed him, pulling out a notebook from her bag. “I think these do.”

She handed it to Fabian, and I looked over his shoulder at the numbers on the page. They looked familiar, but Fabian inquired about them regardless.

“Whose numbers are these?”

“Now, I’m not crazy about this,” she prefaced. “But, they’re mine and Lizzie’s.”

A small rumble, reminiscent of the two last night, went through the house. My sister and I looked at each other, taking that as a sign we were on the right track.

“Okay, Sibuna club is definitely back on,” Amber breathed.

* * *

Dinner that evening went as usual but reminded me of what Mara’d told me earlier. Jerome sat across from me, but not once did I glance in his direction. In fact, I made sure I looked everywhere but where he sat. With Mara sitting right beside him it was only a reminder that I wasn’t the only one Jerome showed a soft side to. 

I was supposed to do dishes with Mara that night, which would’ve been fine given the situation. I could’ve managed through a conversation, brought up Mick, or asked about homework. But when Jerome started clearing the table my stomach dropped.

“Wasn’t Mara supposed to help me with the dishes?” I asked with a touch of bitterness in my tone.

“I asked her to switch with me,” he said.

“Better make this quick then,” I put on a pair of rubber gloves. “I’ve got homework to do.”

“Glad we’re on the same page,” he grumbled.

We cleaned in silence, me washing and him doing the drying. Oddly enough, the silence only brewed annoyance in my gut. If it had been Mara, at least the time would’ve passed quicker. Now we were stuck in a tense quiet that wasn’t getting any better. Or so I thought.

“What changed?” He asked suddenly, setting his towel down abruptly.

“What do you mean?” I didn’t stop what I was doing.

“We’re friends, aren’t we?” 

“Yeah,” I said slowly. 

“So why the cold shoulder?” He questioned. “Last week, you were telling me about your mom’s secret ingredient, and we were baking together. Today, you’ve barely looked me in the eye, you’re completely closed off. So what changed?”

I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t myself understand what I felt, and why I felt it, let alone try to tell Jerome. The thought of telling him what was wrong made me sicker to my stomach than what he’d done. 

And, I realized, I wasn’t even allowed to be angry with him. We weren’t together, not in any capacity, and despite the fact that I maybe had feelings for him didn’t change the fact that he clearly didn’t. I shouldn’t blame him for that, I knew it wasn’t rational, so how did I move on?

I sighed, taking off the rubber gloves and setting them on the counter. I racked my brain for what to say because I knew I couldn’t tell him the truth.

“I’ve just been a bit tense this week, is all,” I breathed. “I took it out on Nina yesterday, and I guess I’m taking it out on you, too.”

I turned to him and seeing his hurt expression felt like a jab in my chest.

“That’s unfair to you, and I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “Something happened this weekend that threw me off, and I’ve been in a bad mood ever since.”

“That’s understandable,” he nodded, the hurt in his eyes leaving. “But I also heard what you said in class today.”

He took a step forward, placing his hands gently on my shoulders and bending down to my eye level.

“You  _ can _ talk to me,” his eyes stayed on mine. “About anything.”

I nodded and pulled away from him, not truly believing his words. 

“We should get back to the dishes,” I said, grabbing my gloves.

Jerome dropped the conversation with ease, much to my relief. That conversation had left me more confused than before we talked. I wasn’t as angry with him anymore, but our friendship wasn’t going to be the same.

“What homework do you have?” He asked just as we were finishing up.

“Oh, you know, the same as you,” I shrugged, mind blank.

“Want to work together?” He offered. “I’d let you copy off my french worksheet.”

“I promised I’d hang with Nina tonight,” I lied, avoiding his eyes. “But maybe another time.”

“Alright,” he sighed, a hint of disappointment in his tone.

He cleared his throat as if to prepare to speak again, but Nina came into the room, looking around curiously.

“Oh, there you are,” she said when she spotted me.

“Just finishing up,” I told her.

“Good timing,” Jerome said.

“Yup, that’s my sister for you,” I wiped down the sink quickly.

“See you tomorrow?” He asked as I took off my gloves.

“Yeah,” I said absent-mindedly. 

I gave him a small wave, ignoring the small frown on his face as I left. I didn’t have time to reflect on our conversation or my feelings as I joined the rest of Sibuna in our bedroom. We were all in our pajamas, seated in a circle, and holding hands. It felt more like a cult than a club, but I didn’t voice that.

“Okay guys, I don’t know what’s gonna happen when I open this,” Nina said. “And who am I kidding? It’s probably not gonna be pretty, so I just wanna make sure. Are we all still on board?”

We exchanged worried glances but none of us moved from where we sat. Fabian put his right hand over his eye, leading the rest of us to follow his lead.

“Sibuna,” we said together.

Nina took a breath and started putting in our numbers. She said each out loud as she did so, and with every number, a creak rang through the house. We braced ourselves as she entered the last two digits of our birth year, expecting the same as last night.

When the creaking stopped we opened our eyes, relieved that the night before hadn’t repeated itself.

“Wow, that was less scary than I thought,” Nina said with a nervous laugh.

“Is that it?” Patricia asked. “Do you think Victor  _ did _ open it and set it back up again?”

“Guys,” Fabian said, his voice slightly shaky. 

He pointed to the wall behind us, and right above my bed were stone letters being pushed out. It sounded like stones being pushed against each other as the words formed on the wall.

“Awaken the voice?” Patricia asked.

“What does it mean?” Fabian mumbled to himself. “Nina?”

“I have no idea,” she whispered.

“Lizzie?” He turned to me.

I shook my head at him, not coming up with anything.

“We should visit Sarah tomorrow,” I suggested. “Maybe she’ll know something.”

Nina nodded, but she still looked shaken from what had happened. We all did, I noticed. This mystery had started out simple, but each new clue proved us wrong. It wasn’t simple, it wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t safe.

* * *

After an awkward breakfast, the next morning, Nina and I walked to Sarah’s old person’s home. It was snowing, but I’d pulled my hair back in a ponytail and worn a wool hat to keep my hair dry. I’d straightened it again this morning, needing a pick me up after the events of yesterday, and wanted it to stay that way.

We hung our coats and hats on the rack next to the desk and waved to the nurse at the front desk. She gestured for us to go in, knowing who we were seeing. It had been a while since our last visit, and nerves brewed in my stomach as Nina tapped on Sarah’s door.

When she opened it, Sarah was sitting in her rocking chair gazing at the wall. She held a prism in her hand and was watching the reflection of light as it danced across the patterned wallpaper.

“Tears of glass,” she whispered.

“How do you know about that?” Nina asked in a soft voice, preserved only for Sarah.

Nina took a seat on Sarah’s bed to directly face her, while I sat in one of the chairs at the table. Sarah hadn’t registered Nina and I were there yet but answered Nina’s question nonetheless.

“I put it back,” Sarah mumbled, setting the prism on the table.

“Put what back?” Nina furthered.

“So hard,” Sarah continued, still not looking at Nina or I. “Two steps forward, three steps back!”

She enunciated the ending with more vitality than I’d seen her with lately. She smiled as if she’d realized something, and looked at Nina briefly. But then she paused, and her gaze drifted away as did her smile.

“I let daddy down, I couldn’t find them,” she frowned.

Suddenly, it was as if Sarah noticed that Nina was there and reached out to touch her arm.

“But you will, I know,” she said with vigor. “Because you have the power.”

“What’s the power, Sarah?” Nina questioned. “Tell me about the power.”

“I can hear it, you know,” she answered. “It whispers.”

“Who whispers?” My sister asked.

“Is it Anna?” I joined, bringing Sarah’s attention to me.

“Oh, Anna,” she said with a light tone. “I miss her so much.”

“Is Anna the one who whispers?” I repeated more clearly.

“No,” Sarah shook her head, returning her gaze to Nina. “It’s the house.”

Sarah squeezed Nina’s hand, and Nina placed her hand on top as she leaned in.

“You have to follow the voice within,” she continued. “Trust it, listen to it.”

“Is that what ‘follow the voice’ means?” Nina asked. 

“The house knows,” Sarah confirmed.

“You once told me that the house was evil,” Nina pointed out.

“Oh you misunderstood me,” Sarah explained, shockingly lucid. “It’s the guardian who’s evil.”

“Who’s the guardian?” Nina mumbled.

“Victor?” I suggested.

“They tricked me,” Sarah said under her breath. “They both tricked me, and they tricked Anna. I thought they loved me, especially Anna, but all they wanted was the secret. And we wouldn’t tell them.”

Sarah leaned into her rocking chair, letting go of Nina’s hand. Her eyes closed as she lulled against the back of her chair.

“I don’t want to live forever,” she said. “Not without Anna.”

“I think she’s asleep,” Nina said after a moment.

“We should go back to the house, I have to show you something,” I told her.

We grabbed our things quietly, and Nina gave Sarah a soft kiss on the head before we braved the weather. On our way back to Anubis house I told her about the picture I’d found when I stole the pieces from Victor’s safe.

“Why didn’t you tell me about it?” She asked, sounding hurt.

“I wasn’t sure what to make of it,” I told her truthfully. “It doesn’t tell us anything about the elixir, but maybe we should give it to Sarah.”

When we got to the house, we quietly crept up the stairs and into our room without Victor noticing. It was almost alarming how good we were getting at sneaking around the house, and we were able to get to our room without any trouble.

I’d hidden the picture in my copy of  _ I’ll Give You The Sun _ by Jandy Nelson. It was a book about twins, so it seemed fitting that this was it’s hiding spot. When I handed it to Nina, her face softened.

“She’s so young here,” she whispered.

“So is Victor,” I noted. “They were friends.”

“This was Victor’s dad,” Nina reminded me.

“Something tells me that’s not right,” I explained.

“I agree, we need to find real proof though,” she put the picture back in the book. “And this isn’t it.”

“Should we check under the stairs again?” I suggested.

“No, Victor would see us,” Nina shook her head. “We should try the attic.”

I nodded and put the book back in its place as we ditched our backpacks and headed for the attic. Nina pulled out a bobby pin, and the door unlocked with ease. Once we were upstairs, we looked around through boxes, photo albums, anything we could to find any indication that the elixir existed.

After a few minutes, Nina wandered over to the portrait of Sarah in the secret room, lost in thought. I was busy rumbling through a box of old cylinders to see where she went, but her voice carried through the small room.

“Sarah said we should listen to the voice,” she mumbled. “Hello? House? It’s us, Nina and Lizzie. So come on, what did you want me to find?”

“Nina, I don’t think tha—”

As I was talking, a box from a tall stack in the opposite corner of the room fell over. A book came tumbling out of it, accompanied by a piece of paper.

“I stand corrected,” I admitted.

We met at the box, me sifting through the books and Nina going for the paper. 

“It’s a newspaper,” she noted before reading the article. “‘Boarding school founded on Anubis Estate. Victor Rodenmaar Jr., son of the late Victor Rodenmaar Sr. has founded a new school on Anubis Estate with help from his benefactors Mr. Rufus Zeno and Sarah Frobisher-Smythe.’”

“Victor Rodenmaar Jr.?” I clarified.

“Yes, look,” she pointed at the image. “Why has Sarah aged but Victor and Rufus haven’t?”

“It has to be the elixir,” I breathed. “There’s no other explanation.”

“We need to call a Sibuna meeting, like now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: happy tuesday! next update coming on Thursday, thank you so so much for reading <3 i'd love to hear suggestions or your thoughts <3


	21. House of Masks / House of Pursuits

While Nina showed Patricia and Fabian the newspaper article we found in the attic, I ran down to the kitchen for a quick snack. Dinner in about an hour, but we’d skipped lunch when going to visit Sarah so I hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

When I passed through the dining room I saw Jerome and Mara sitting together at the table, discussing her campaign for School Representative. I swallowed and glanced away before I could linger too long on the disappointment bubbling in my chest. Our visit with Sarah had distracted me, but now that we were back in Anubis house it was hard to avoid either of them.

Unfortunately, Mara noticed me from the kitchen and waved me over.

“Would you mind listening to my policies for a second?” She asked. “I really wanna get this right.”

“I’m sure your policies are great,” I said, picking up a bag of pretzels. 

“You’ll win by a landslide,” Jerome reminded her. “Amelia Pinches doesn’t stand a chance against us.”

The ‘us’ at the end of his sentence sent a rush of annoyance through me.

“I’m confident in that, but I still don’t want to waste my leadership,” Mara continued.

“That’s not possible, you’re Mara Jaffray,” Jerome said with a bright smile.

I set the bag of pretzels down, suddenly not hungry anymore.

“Still, it’s nice to have a varying opinion,” Mara turned back to me. “So, Lizzie—”

“I’m kind of busy right now,” I cut her off. “But maybe tomorrow?”

“Sure, we can talk on the way to school,” Mara offered.

“Sounds great,” I said with a tight smile.

Jerome gave me a quizzical look, but I ignored it as I walked to the doorway. I raced up the stairs quickly, trying to forget that conversation. Thankfully, Sibuna was in full swing when I returned to our room, with Nina pacing around the room and Fabian trying to comfort her.

“Alfie could jeopardize the whole thing,” my sister cried.

“Why are we talking about Alfie?” I asked, trying to keep up.

“We may have given him some details about the pieces,” Fabian explained.

“It was just a few things, that’s all,” Patricia defended. “Enough to keep him at bay.”

“Still,” Fabian interrupted, holding the newspaper. “This is exciting, it proves we were right all along. About Victor, the elixir.”

“We still haven’t got any proof, though” Patricia pointed out. “That stuff we’ve got is just water and herbs according to the toxicology report.”

“There are a ton of bottles down there,” I reminded her. 

“We took the wrong stuff, that’s all,” Fabian agreed. 

“In that case, don’t we need to—” Patricia started.

“Go back down there?” Nina finished.

“All of us?” I asked.

“No, that’s too risky,” Fabian interjected.

“We should get Amber,” Patricia voiced.

We nodded collectively and rushed downstairs to find Amber and Alfie in the living room. 

“Amber, could we have a word please?” Fabian asked.

Amber and Alfie stood together, causing a frown to develop on my sister’s face.

“Ah, just Amber, sorry Alfie,” he continued.

“Thanks a bunch,” Alfie scoffed as he walked to the dining room exit.

“Sorry Alfie, it’s just—” My sister started but he was gone before she finished her sentence.

I followed him as he walked, wanting to make sure he wasn’t too upset, when I noticed Jerome watching our exchange from the dining table. 

“Aw, have you been dumped?” He asked Alfie with a joking tone.

“You and me both pal,” Alfie shot back before exiting completely.

Jerome frowned at his friend’s response, and I noted how Mara wasn’t sitting with him anymore. A large part of me was glad that Mick was in the picture, but it was disheartening to know that if he wasn’t, Jerome and Mara wouldn’t have anything standing in their way.

“So, we need to decide who’s going into the cellar and getting the  _ real _ elixir,” Patricia whispered.

I tore my gaze away from Jerome and pushed the thought as far out of my mind as possible. We needed to focus on getting the elixir from the cellar, I couldn’t let my confused feelings get in the way of stopping Victor.

“Why aren’t we including Alfie?” Amber asked innocently. “He said he was one of us now.”

“I knew this was gonna happen,” Nina sighed, the frown on her face deepening.

After an awkward and silent dinner, we went to Alfie’s room to try and reconcile. All of Sibuna crowded into his room, and luckily Jerome was elsewhere.

“Alfie I’m sorry,” my sister started. “It’s just this is a big deal, like life, death, the whole shebang. People have been hurt.”

“Yeah and Alfie was one of them,” Amber reminded everyone. “Remember when we hospitalized him?”

“Amber, shut up,” Patricia chastised.

Unfortunately, Alfie had heard Amber’s comment and stood abruptly with a shocked expression.

“What?” He demanded.

“Uh, well, that stuff you drank,” Amber began. 

“We found it in the cellar,” Fabian finished.

“You could’ve killed me,” Alfie exclaimed.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Nina admitted.

“And we’re so sorry about that,” I elbowed my sister.

“But hey, the good news is we didn’t, right?” Nina offered.

“So what was it?” Alfie asked.

“It wasn’t the stuff we were looking for, unfortunately,” Fabian explained. “So we need to get some more.”

“I’ll do it,” Alfie said without hesitation. “I’m sick of being left out, this way I get to prove myself. Please?”

“Alfie, do y—” Fabian started.

“You have to let me,” Alfie interrupted. “I deserve to do this mission after what you almost did to me.”

“He’s right,” Patricia spoke up. “I vote Alfie goes.”

“I second that,” I agreed.

“Okay fine,” Nina sighed. “But he can’t go alone.”

After about thirty minutes of back and forth discussion, it was decided that Fabian and I would be joining Alfie in the cellar. The three of us could cover all the ground in the cellar at the same time, and we could inform Alfie of any questions he had while we were down there.

We moved to the kitchen, with Patricia and Amber keeping watch at the entrances. I’d grabbed my flashlight from upstairs, pretending I didn’t notice Jerome as he walked into Mara’s room. I needed to get over it, and myself. I wasn’t special, I knew that now, all I could do was move on from it.

So that’s what I intended on doing by pouring myself into this mystery. And maybe I’d make some cookies later, to cheer myself up. 

“This is gonna be great,” Alfie said, practically bouncing with excitement. “Us lot, all together, intrepid explorers, mystery detectives, adrenaline-seeking adventurers.”

“Alfie, you have to take this seriously,” Patricia warned.

“Sorry, have we got torches and stuff?” He asked.

“No,” Patricia lied. “And you’ll be blindfolded.”

“Blindfolded?” Alfie’s voice went up an octave.

“Patricia,” Nina scolded lightly. “No, Alfie, of course you won’t be blindfolded. Don’t panic.”

“I’m not panicking,” he refuted with a shaky voice.

“Aw, Alfie it’s okay,” Amber comforted. “I’m scared and I’m not even going.”

“Wh-s-sc-scared? Who’s scared?” He stuttered.

“Fabian and I will be with you the whole time,” I reminded him.

“All clear?” Fabian asked, receiving a nod from Amber and Patricia.

Nina opened the oven door with her necklace, omitting a red light from the lock.

“Cool,” Alfie breathed.

“Okay, we’ll keep watch and if it’s unsafe to come out I’ll knock three times,” she explained.

Alfie nodded, his eyes lingering on the door to the cellar.

“Are you ready?” Fabian asked Alfie.

“Of course I’m ready,” he responded.

“Liz?” Fabian turned to me.

“Yup,” I nodded. “Let’s do this.”

“Sibuna,” my sister led.

The rest of us followed her gesture, aside from Alfie who still didn’t understand the hand movement and ended up waving his hand across his face. I went first, crawling through the oven door and then down the steps with Alfie behind me, followed by Fabian.

The cellar looked exactly like it had the last time we were down here, looking for Alfie after he and Jerome had pranked us. I hadn’t realized how long it’d been until I thought back to it and recalled that was also the night Jerome and I first talked.

I shook my head, mad at myself that even when looking for the elixir in a creepy cellar I still couldn’t get Jerome out of my mind. I scanned the room with my flashlight, trying to decipher which bottle we’d seen Victor drinking out of all those weeks ago.

“There’s so many,” Fabian said. “Which one is it?”

“I barely remember what it looked like,” I noted. “But wouldn’t it be close to empty now?”

“Maybe,” he shrugged. “That’s a good place to start.”

“I’ll check the cabinets,” I said.

Alfie was busy looking at one of the robes along the wall, but I paid no notice to it as I crossed into the other side of the cellar. Along the back wall were a series of cabinets, and I started with the on on the left.

I picked up various bottles that I thought could be it, but after inspecting them with my flashlight I realized they weren’t. As I put my third bottle back, I felt a tingle at the back of my neck and turned instinctively to my right.

I came face-to-face with a woman about my age, maybe a bit older. She was blonde and wore her hair in braids with bow ties at the end. She was wearing an outdated dress, with polka dots and a flared collar. She smiled at me warmly, her teeth as white as her pearl necklace and matching earrings.

My eyes darted to Fabian and Alfie, but they weren’t paying attention.

“They can’t see me,” the woman said, her voice as sweet as honey. “Are you Elizabeth?”

I was too stunned to reply, so I merely nodded.

“My name’s Anna,” she held out a hand. “Anna Frobisher-Smythe.”

“This isn’t possible,” I shook my head. “I’m going crazy.”

“You’re not crazy, Elizabeth, just surprised,” she said. “We don’t have much time, but I need you to listen.”

“You’re not real,” I scoffed. “You can’t be.”

“Did you say something, Lizzie?” Fabian asked, picking up a vial.

“Nothing,” I paused, considering Anna’s look of urgency. “Just talking out loud.”

When Fabian didn’t answer, Anna took that as a sign to continue.

“You need to listen to my sister,” she started. “You have to help my sister.”

“Sarah?”

Anna nodded before continuing.

“She’s going to need help, but I can’t get to her,” Anna paused, considering her words carefully. “You have to trust yourself, and your mind.”

“What do you mean?”

“You have to trust yourself,” she continued. “There’s still a chance for you.”

“A chance for me?”

“You’ll learn.”

“Learn? About wha—”

Before I could finish, Alfie let out a blood-curdling scream. My heart jumped, and Fabian dropped the jar he’d been holding, causing the glass to shatter all over the ground. I ran over to Alfie to make sure he was okay, glancing back briefly to see Anna was no longer there.

I guided Alfie away from the robed figure he was staring at, and Fabian was the right behind us as we rushed up the steps. Nina, Amber, and Patricia were waiting for us when we crawled out of the entrance.

“I knew this was a bad idea,” my sister said disdainfully.

“Alife?” Amber asked. “Speak to me, are you okay?”

He was taking deep breaths and leaning on the counter but managed a nod at Amber.

“What happened?” Patricia demanded.

“I was winding Fabian up,” Alfie shrugged, though gathered from the way his shoulders shook that he wasn’t being entirely truthful.

“Did you get any elixir?” Nina asked us.

I shook my head, having forgotten that was the only reason we went to the cellar in the first place.

“I dropped the sample,” Fabian explained.

“We’ll have to go back another night,” Nina groaned. “It’s too risky now.”

The thought of going back down to the cellar made my heart sink, I had no interest in repeating whatever happened down there. 

Later that night, I was turning over in my bed when I noticed the time on Nina’s clock. It was past two in the morning, and I still couldn’t sleep. There was a nagging in my stomach, anticipation, that hadn’t settled. Anna’s words rung through my head, only for me to tell myself I must’ve been seeing things. 

Ghosts didn’t exist, it wasn’t possible. Though, there was a time when I didn’t think an elixir of life existed either. I shut my eyes, hoping my mind would empty, but all I saw was Anna’s smiling face. Anna was dead, and if it wasn’t a ghost I’d been talking to, then what was it? And why hadn’t Fabian or Alfie been able to see her? 

I huffed, a headache developing behind my eyes. Sleep wasn’t coming easily, despite the fact that my mind and body were exhausted. With a sudden burst of energy, fueled by my annoyance, I sat up abruptly in bed and threw back the covers. I snagged my copy of  _ I’ll Give You The Sun _ off my bookshelf and headed downstairs. 

I made it to the kitchen without notice by Victor. The dark and empty hallway was unnerving, but it was partly nice to have some solitude. I filled a mug with water and popped it in the microwave, hoping that a little tea would help the sleep come to me. 

I studied the picture of Anna, Sarah, and Victor while I waited for the water to heat up. I thought back to the person I’d seen in the cellar and compared it to the photograph. The hair was the same, I realized. The “Anna” that I’d met downstairs wore her hair the same way that Anna and Sarah did in this picture. That couldn’t be a coincidence, but it had to be.

“Elizabeth?” A voice sounded beside me, and I jumped.

When I turned it was only Jerome, to which I sighed with relief. I’d almost thought it was Anna, as she’d referred to me as Elizabeth earlier.

“Jerome,” I breathed, “You scared me.”

“Sorry,” he said politely. “I was just surprised to see you.”

“Same here,” I noted. “I didn’t think anyone else would be awake.”

“Me neither, so why are you awake?” He squinted at me.

“Can’t sleep, I thought making some tea would help,” I gestured to the microwave.

“You’re making tea in the  _ microwave _ ?”

“...Yeah.”

“That’s a disgrace, I thought so much better of you,” he shook his head playfully. “Who even are you?”

“An American,” I reminded him.

“Ugh, figures,” he sighed.

The conversation came to a halt and as it did I remembered why I was in such a confused state. I turned to the microwave, pulling the mug out carefully just before the timer went off. I steeped the tea bag, my back to Jerome as I did so.  _ Maybe if I pretended that nothing was wrong, I could get through it _ , I considered.

“So, why are  _ you _ awake?” I asked, deciding that was the best course of action.

I turned to find him leaning against the counter, looking at the photograph of Anna.

“What’s this?” He countered.

“Just an old picture, I found it in my room,” I lied, snatching it from him.

His eyebrows rose. “Looked like Victor.”

My lips pursed, and I didn’t know how to respond.

“Whenever you want to spill your secrets, I’ll be ready with open ears.”

“They’re not my secrets to spill,” I said to him.

“So, whose are they?”

“You don’t know them,” I explained, growing frustrated.

“I know Victor,” he countered.

“They’re not his secrets,” I paused, a mixture of frustration, anger, and annoyance from the last few days brewing inside me. “Sorry to hear how Mara turned you down, it must be hard to know she prefers, as you put it, a meathead with no future over you.”

His expression stiffened, and his eyes locked on mine.

“You heard about that, huh?”

“Oh yeah,” I said lightly. “Mara told me all about it.”

“I didn’t know you were that close of friends,” he said. 

“Neither did I until she told me,” I shrugged, checking to see if my tea was ready.

“The Mara thing,” Jerome started. “I didn’t mean for it to come back to you.”

“You thought I wouldn’t find out?” I clarified. “It’s a small school Jerome if it wasn’t Mara it would’ve been someone else.”

He nodded, avoiding my gaze, and studying the counter.

“Besides, why would it matter if I found out?” I took a sip of my tea. “We’re friends after all,  _ just _ friends.”

“Right,” Jerome nodded, straightening his back. “And friends talk to each other, so tell me what’s up. What’s keeping you from sleeping?”

I wasn’t ignorant of his tactics. This was a way of diverting the conversation, but I wanted to stop talking about Mara, too, so I went with it. I don’t know whether it was the lack of sleep or confusion, but I found myself wanting to be honest with him. 

“I used to have these recurring dreams all the time, before I came here,” I sighed. “I thought I’d grown out of them because I feel like I have, but I had one over the weekend. Now I just don’t really know how to feel.”

“If I may, what are the dreams about?” He asked quietly. 

“They’re, um, about an ex-boyfriend of mine,” I paused, my eyes landing on my mug.

“I’m sure that’s unpleasant,” he noted.

“You have no idea,” I managed a smile at him.

“Is it that ‘Cameron’ guy?”

I nodded and lingered on the soft look in his eyes.

“Do you regret dating him?”

I considered his question with a tilt of my head.

“No,” I decided. “He wasn’t a good boyfriend, especially towards the end of our relationship, but I wouldn’t be the same person I am now if we hadn’t gotten together.”

“I get that, he made you a better person,” Jerome suggested.

“I made myself a better person,” I corrected. “He had nothing to do with that. All he did was break me down until I finally broke, and then I rebuilt myself. I did that rebuilding because of him, yes, but I give him no credit for how I put myself back together.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” he whispered.

“Me too.”

“You’re very admirable,” he said with a smile.

“What?” I asked in disbelief.

“You know who you are,” he continued. “And you stand by that. I’m not like that.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” I noted. “I’m only sixteen after all.”

“You’re closer than a lot of other sixteen-year-olds, so how’d you do it?”

“I listened to my heart,” I recalled. “And didn’t rush it.”

“You make it sound simple,” he chuckled.

“You just have to know what you want, and you have to go for it.”

“What if I want two things?” He looked up at me suddenly. “And they aren’t mutually exclusive. One or the other. What do I do then?”

His eyes were bright with concern, a genuine concern, and I almost got lost in their intensity. 

“You picture yourself having made both decisions, and think about how it would play out,” I advised. “Which version of yourself do you want to be?”

He nodded, considering my words. A silence developed between us, and I was finally beginning to feel the effects of exhaustion. My eyes were heavy, and a yawn was threatening to escape at the back of my throat. 

I went to the sink to wash my mug, and when I turned back, Jerome was gone. The photograph of Anna was sitting on top of the book, untouched. I tucked the photograph inside and walked into the hallway. I tiptoed up the stairs and back into my room, happily crawling under my covers once again. There was only one thing on my mind as I fell asleep:

He hadn’t said goodnight.

* * *

The next day, I sluggishly followed the rest of Sibuna through the hallway on the way to class. I’d had coffee this morning but that hadn’t solved my tiredness, only perpetuated my jitters. I was practically shaking, and my mind couldn’t focus on anything. Nerves brewed at the bottom of my stomach and only served as another distraction.

I was too lost in my own mind, trying to figure out what was wrong with me, to notice that we’d walked into the wrong classroom. Instead of Mrs. Andrews and the rest of the French students, the classroom was empty with only Alfie sitting in a chair, alone.

He looked about as miserable as I felt, but I’m sure his reasons were different. He didn’t see a ghost last night or have another confusing conversation with someone he might’ve had feelings for, and certainly got more sleep than I did. Still, whatever was troubling him was visible, and that’s when I started paying attention to the conversation.

“Last night in the cellar…” he said. “I remembered everything.”

“What did you see?” Patricia asked.

“Mr. Sweet, Mrs. Andrews, Mr. Winkler, and some other people,” he explained. “ they were chanting. And they mentioned the ‘chosen one.’ Victor drank from a skull, it was horrible.” 

He swallowed, his breathing becoming heavy and rapid. 

“And one of them was in a mask, a dog mask,” his eyes squinted. “That’s what I dream about, that face staring at me. It’s coming for me.”

“Alfie, it’s okay,” Patricia comforted, placing her hand on Alfie’s shoulder.

“I bet I know what he was drinking out of that skull,” Nina said.

“The elixir,” Fabian realized.

“What elixir?” Alfie asked, more calm than before.

“It’s a potion they make, it keeps you young,” Fabian explained.

“Ankh?” Alfie offered. “That’s another word they used.

“The cup of Ankh,” my sister realized. “That’s the cup that gives you immortality, right?”

“Uh, hello,” Amber greeted, sauntering into the room. “Very important stuff to discuss here. So I’ve only got twenty-four hours to make sure I win the election, hands up, who’s going to help me blow Mara out of the race?”

None of us raised our hands, not even Alfie. 

“Some club,” Amber scoffed. “You people are so unsupportive, running around after the cup of mankh when it could be my one chance to shine.”

“Your  _ one _ chance, Amber?” I asked. “That’s a tad dramatic.”

“Oh and by the way Alfie,” she said, ignoring my comment, “You’re fired.”

Amber turned sharply and stormed out of the room. A few minutes later we followed her lead, heading to class. I was like a zombie most of the day, especially during our last class when Mrs. Andrews droned on and on about the poet William Blake. Had I been listening I’m sure I would’ve found that he was a great poet, but I didn’t bother to focus on that when the words of a ghost were still fresh in my mind.

As we were leaving class, Nina and I spotted an old picture of Amber with her campaign slogan on it. In the picture she had braces and giant glasses that took up nearly a third of her face. Her slogan, “always looking pretty,” was plastered above it. I frowned, considering who would do that when my eyes landed on Jerome.

He was watching the door, waiting for Amber’s reaction. When she saw them she ran away in tears, ripping up all the posters she could find. Jerome laughed at her but when she finally left his gaze landed on me.

“That’s the type of person you’re ‘friends’ with?” My sister asked from beside me, matching Jerome’s stare.

“That’s not the type of person I became friends with,” I said, loud enough for him to hear.

“We should go,” Fabian said, pulling us away from the fiasco.

We nodded together, and Patricia joined us on our way to the house. We rendezvoused about twenty minutes later in the attic, looking through the cylinders. Nina thought that this was a hint at the ‘voice’ that Sarah was talking about.

“I don’t understand what we’re doing,” Patricia whined. “We’ve listened to these all already.”

“This is the one that was blank, right?” My sister asked, not answering Patricia’s claim but holding up the broken cylinder. “But why was it blank?”

“Because it was damaged?” Fabian guessed.

“Or because it’s fake,” Nina realized. “This casing doesn’t look right to me.”

“It does look different from the others,” I agreed. “Try opening it.”

Nina tugged at the top of the cylinder and the lid popped off without any struggle. She pulled out a piece of brown paper, like the ones we got all our clues on, and unrolled it.

“What does it say?” Patricia asked as we rushed around Nina to read it.

“‘To find the secret of the past, look beyond this world through glass’,” she read.

The beginning of the clue caught my attention. ‘Beyond this world,’ could that have been related to my conversation with Anna. If she really was a ghost, then she’s well beyond our physical world. I looked at my sister, Fabian, and Patricia, equally as baffled. Fabian was right, none of this was getting any easier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: happy thursday!! this chapter had some more details about Lizzie and her connection to Anna, so fun! LMK your thoughts and suggestions, thank you so much for reading <3


	22. House of Yesterday / House of Victory

Though the clue was difficult, somehow Fabian managed to come up with a theory. His theory was that ‘to find the secret to the past, look beyond this world through glass,’ referred to a mirror. The mirror in question was a standing mirror in the front hallway, next to the sarcophagus. It sounded correct, and no one opposed it when Fabian brought this up. 

That’s how Fabian, Nina, and I found ourselves in the front hallway the day after we discovered the clue. We pulled the mirror away from the wall, trying to find where the next clue could be.

“Is there anything written on the back?” Fabian asked as Nina walked behind it.

“Nope,” she sighed.

“‘Look beyond the world through glass,’” Fabian muttered to himself. “‘Beyond the world,’ what does that mean exactly?”

I shrugged, thinking of my conversation with Anna in the cellar. If she was a ghost, which I unsure of, then it certainly would’ve been a conversation that was ‘beyond the world,’ but there was no glass involved. Anna had simply appeared, without invitation, and the more I thought about that fact the more I believed I’d imagined the entire encounter.

“What are you three doing?” Victor’s voice echoed through the entry.

We turned sharply to see him standing on the stairs, leaning against the banister. His glare bore into us as we scrambled to come up with a good excuse.

“I was, um, just admiring this,” Nina referred to the mirror as she pushed it back into place. “Is it Roman? Or, um, Victorian? I’m kind of an amateur antique collector.”

“Always snooping,” Victor condemned. “Get off to school immediately.”

I grabbed Nina’s hand and the three of us were nearly toward the exit when Victor called our names once more.

“Ms. Martin, the both of you,” he said. “It’s very public-spirited of you, I’m sure, to visit the sick and elderly. However, try and restrict your visits in the future to weekends only.”

“What visits?” Nina asked, trying to play it off. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

If Victor hadn’t been eyeing us so closely I would’ve elbowed her for her terrible lying, but I didn’t want to give him any more of a reason to suspect us, or Sarah. If he knew where we were going, then he might start to wonder who it was and visit himself, and Sarah wouldn’t be hidden anymore.

“Emily Grant,” he clarified.

“Emily, of course,” I jumped in. “Weekends only—got it.”

Nina opened her mouth, most likely to protest Victor’s sentiment, but I took hold of Nina’s arm and pulled her away before she got herself in trouble. Nina was annoyed for the rest of the morning, limiting when we could see Sarah would also limit the amount of progress we could make on the clues. 

I understood Nina’s frustration and even was a tad annoyed myself but couldn’t focus on that when there was a pit of nerves growing in my gut. It felt exactly like it had before Alfie went to the hospital, only worse. I barely paid attention in class and was so distracted that when I got my french homework back with a big fat C in the upper-left corner that I didn’t even care. 

After classes were finally done for the day, I sat in the living room with my laptop open in front of me. I decided to take matters into my own hands, my concern about Sarah driving me up the wall with anticipation. I was googling frantically, trying to find any trace of Anna and how she died. 

There weren’t many, but most of the archived journals I found weren’t pictured, and only available for viewing at the public library. One of the only two that I was able to see was the newspaper clipping we’d found upstairs already, when Sarah, Rufus, and Victor founded the school. The other was an obituary for Rufus from a few years ago, though I knew that was false. 

I groaned in annoyance, there was nothing about Anna. Plenty about her parents, some about Sarah, but none about her. It was hard to believe she even existed, seeing as the only people who remembered her were Sarah and Rufus. Sarah was getting older, and more confused, with each passing day. And Rufus, well, he didn’t have a good track record for being honest about the past. If it weren’t for the picture of Anna that I’d found in Victor’s safe I would think she was completely fabricated. 

“Who’s Rufus Zeno?” Someone sounded from behind me.

I flinched involuntarily, already on edge about everything, as I turned to see who it was. Naturally, it was Jerome, he was beginning to get predictable. He was leaning over the couch, arm outstretched on the back for stability as he studied my computer screen.

“No one,” I said quickly. “Just someone a friend of mine used to know.”

“Must’ve been a serious accident,” he noted.

I lowered the screen from his view. “Yeah, very serious.”

Jerome’s gaze moved to mine as he registered my words. There was no doubt in my mind he knew there was something more going on, he was too clever not to. It was now a matter of whether or not he’d ask about it.

“Are you feeling okay?” His brows dipped. “You’ve been on edge all day.”

“You’ve noticed?”

“It’s hard not to.” He walked around the couch and took a seat beside me, crossing one leg underneath himself and propping an elbow on the back of the couch. His other leg was resting on the top of the coffee table, something Victor would chastise him for if he saw.

“Are you upset with me?” He asked. “About the Amber thing?”

I’d completely forgotten about the fact that he’d embarrassed Amber in front of the entire school, my mind was too busy winding up my anxiety. I hesitated to answer, trying to think of how I actually felt about the matter.

“Um, a little bit,” I finally decided on.

“A little bit?” He inquired.

“Yes, a little bit, ” I nodded, more confident this time.

A frown dipped at the corners of Jerome’s face, and I saw a hint of confusion glimmer in his eyes.

“What you did really hurt Amber,” I explained. “I know you only did it because you want Mara to win, but I don’t think you needed to publicly humiliate Amber to do that.”

He nodded, considering my words.

“You’re right,” he said. “Mara didn’t like it either.”

“Doesn’t seem her type,” I acknowledged. “She wants to win for her intellect, not by being sneaky or putting down her opponents.”

“Yeah, I should’ve realized that.”

“Probably,” I shrugged. “I’m sure Amber will forget about all of this in about a month, but you might have to do a bit more work to make it up to Mara.”

Jerome’s frown was evident as I finished my sentiment. Before I could linger on it, he cleared his throat and snapped his eyes back to mine, full of renewed energy.

“So, this Rufus Zeno,” he continued. “Why were you searching for his obituary?”

“I wasn’t  _ searching  _ for his obituary, I stumbled upon it,” I said with a shrug.

“Why the interest?”

“I could ask you the same question.”

“Touché,” he chuckled. 

“Do you believe in ghosts?” I asked suddenly.

His eyebrows jumped, taken aback by my question.

“No,” he said slowly. “Do you?”

“I know it sounds stupid.” I rolled my eyes. “But I don’t know.”

“It doesn’t sound stupid,” he started. “Just a bit looney.”

I let out a laugh, which felt good.

“Did you see one?” He asked. 

I knew he was playing around, but I treated his question as if he wasn’t.

“I think so,” I shrugged. “If it wasn’t a ghost then I don’t know what it was. I’m probably crazy, I might just need some sleep.”

“It doesn’t look like you’ve gotten much of that,” he agreed. “Was it Rufus you saw?”

“No.” I shook my head. “Someone else.” 

“The friend of Rufus?” He caught on.

I nodded, too unsure to even say it out loud.

“Where was this?”

“It was in the cellar,” I whispered.

“Well, if there’s anywhere in this house to see a ghost, it’s down there,” Jerome acknowledged.

“That’s not helping me feel less crazy,” I glared at him. “I’m totally crazy, right?”

“Most definitely,” he said.

“Great,” I huffed, slamming my computer shut. “Good talk.”

“Lizzie?” Someone called from the front hallway.

A moment later, Nina and Fabian entered, looking eager.

“There you are,” Fabian said.

“We need to talk to you,” Nina started, eyes bouncing to Jerome then back to Lizzie.

“Oh, we—” I began before I was interrupted by Victor.

“Get your feet off the furniture, boy!” He yelled at Jerome, who flinched at his tone and moved his foot from the coffee table quickly. 

“What are you two staring at?” Victor continued, eyeing Nina and Fabian. “I want you all in bed by nine o’clock, or else there will be consequences.”

“What’s bugging him?” Jerome muttered.

“Maybe Corbierre bit him,” I suggested vindictively.

Jerome chuckled at my comment, and even Fabian joined for a moment. Nina, on the other hand, was preoccupied with something tucked into the fold of one of the chairs. She picked it up, and I recognized it as soon as I caught sight of it.

“It’s Sarah’s scarf,” Nina noted.

“That means she’s been here,” I said.

All of my anxiety that had been brushed to the back of my mind came rushing forward with full force. If Sarah had been here, that means Victor knew where she was and could get to her at any time. Maybe Anna’s ghost was right, and Sarah was going to need our help.

* * *

That night I fell asleep easily, my sleep deprivation winning out over my worries. But when I was transferred into Nina’s dream I knew something was wrong. It was becoming easier to recognize when that was happening because it felt different. I felt the way Nina reacted, on top of my own feelings, and that’s the first indication that something’s off. She was clutching Sarah’s scarf with an iron grip, even in her sleep.

The second indication is the dream itself, and tonight the dream included Sarah. She sat at the end of Nina’s bed, smiling down at us. She looked calm and relaxed, content even. Her wardrobe was off-putting, a pink zip-up sweater as opposed to a nightgown. 

“Sarah,” Nina breathed.

“Goodbye my darling,” she responded. “It’s your quest now, don’t let anyone stop you, love. There are others searching, others with less pure of heart than you and your sister.”

I felt a sob crawl up the back of Nina’s throat, and my gut twisted as I realized what was happening.

“It’s up to you and Lizzie now,” Sarah began to stand. “It’s time for me to go.”

She placed a kiss on Nina’s head, and at that moment I was moved back to my own dream. When I opened my eyes Sarah was kissing my head, too.

“Hi, Elizabeth,” she said. 

My mouth hung agape, she’d never come to me specifically, just Nina. 

“I need your help,” she said calmly. “Did Anna speak to you?”

I nodded, not being able to form words.

“Good, so you know what to do?”

“No,” I whispered. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“I can’t get to her,” Sarah started. “But you can help me.”

“How?” I asked, my voice shaking.

“I don’t know if it’ll work, but I need you to take my hand.”

“What?” My eyes squinted. “This is a dream.”

“It’s not just a dream,” Sarah said. “Now, take my hand.”

She reached her hand out to me from where she sat on my bed. I swallowed, deciding to listen to her. I met her halfway and an exhilarating chill ran through me when I felt her hand. It was as if she was here in person, though that shouldn’t have been possible.

“What now?” I asked eagerly, the contact giving me a newfound confidence.

“Close your eyes,” she instructed. “And think about what Anna said.”

_ You have to trust yourself, and your mind _ . Anna’s words rang through me.

I closed my eyes, listening to Sarah, and searching my mind for what to do. Instinctively, I squeezed Sarah’s hand lightly, and my breath caught in my throat when I felt a warmth swell in where we touched. I nearly let go, but something in the back of my mind stopped me from doing it. 

The warmth stopped suddenly, and a shocking wave of cool air coursed through my body. A weight soared off my chest as the cool air rippled through me, and I let out a surprised gasp. When the wave stopped and I opened my eyes, Sarah was gone. I no longer felt her hand in mine, and her weight from where she sat on my bed had lifted. 

That was when I woke up, breathing heavy and face wet with tears. I looked over to Nina’s bed and saw her sitting upright with her eyes wide. We shared a collective concern, and Nina ran over to me as soon as she knew I was awake.

“Did you see her too?” She asked me.

I nodded.

“Did you see her come to me after she visited you?” I asked.

She nodded.

“Do you think she’s,” Nina paused, taking a deep breath. “Gone?”

“We don’t know anything for sure,” I told her, deflecting the question. “We should try and go to sleep, and figure this out in the morning.”

“You’re right, I just can’t get this feeling out of my mind.”

“Me too,” I sighed. “Something’s definitely wrong.”

“What are we gonna do?” Ninna asked. “If she is really gone?”

“I don’t know,” I said quietly. “But we’ll figure something out.”

* * *

Nina was on edge the next morning since we didn’t have a final answer about Sarah. We didn’t tell anyone about the dreams we’d had, not even Amber. We wanted to be sure before we told them anything, and it was the day of the election. The rest of the house was brewing with the tension between Amber and Mara, and I still wasn’t sure who I would vote for.

We sat at breakfast sullenly, Nina pushing around cereal in her bowl and me only drinking coffee. I couldn’t get myself to stomach any food, I was too preoccupied trying to unpack the dream where I touched Sarah’s hand. I didn’t have any clue what it meant, but if Sarah was dead, then what had I done?

“So election day, the big vote off,” Jerome started the conversation. “Alfie is a definite vote for Amber, so is Nina, and so am I. That just leaves Mick and Patricia for you then, Mara. Are you getting nervous?”

“Oh back off Clarke,” Mick defended.

I stopped listening when Trudy walked in, looking somber. She came to Nina and I at the head of the table and placed a hand on Nina’s shoulder.

“Would you both come with me please?” She asked quietly.

Nina and I shared a glance, and a sting grew in the back of my eyes. Fabian and the rest of Sibuna watched with confused expressions as we left with Trudy. When we were separated in the hall, Trudy took one of each of our hands in hers with a frown showing on her face.

“There’s some bad news, I’m afraid,” Trudy started. “The old people’s home just called—”

“Sarah’s dead,” Nina interrupted, her voice hollow.

“Emily, she means,” I corrected, remembering that Sarah went by Emily Grant. 

Nina started to cry, now that her death was confirmed and no longer just a hunch. I wrapped Nina into a hug, a surprising sob making its way up the back of my throat. My eyes stung, and quickly my vision was blurred and my face wet with tears. I felt Trudy’s comforting hand on my back as Nina and I cried together, and I was grateful for it.

Nina pulled away after a minute or two, but she still held onto my hand tightly. I cleared my throat and used my free hand to wipe under my eyes. Nina was freely crying, still, but looked calmer than before.

“Mrs. Mulligan wants to see you both,” Trudy said, referring to the lady at the front desk. “There’s something that Emily wanted you to have. You can take the morning off.”

“Thank you, Trudy,” I said softly, knowing Nina wouldn’t be able to speak.

“Of course sweetie,” she nodded.

Nina and I left for the old person’s home while the rest of the house went to school for the elections. Fabian sent us each a text, and Patricia sent me one, but I sent a vague reply saying that we wouldn’t be at elections today. It was snowing again today, so Nina and I huddled together for warmth as we walked to the old person’s home. 

Mrs. Mulligan greeted us warmly when we got inside, and offered us tea. I took some chamomile, but Nina shook her head. I used it to warm up my hands as Mrs. Mulligan guided us to Sarah’s room. Her things were packed already, and there were suitcases laid across the bed.

“The funeral’s tomorrow,” she told us. “It’s all being taken care of by her nephew. You’re both welcome to attend.”

“Nephew?” Nina asked. “We didn’t know she had any relatives.”

“Just the one, don’t see much of him,” she explained.

Mrs. Mulligan turned to the brown shoebox on top of a suitcase and picked it up carefully.

“Emily asked me to give you this,” she held it out to us. “It was after we got back from Anubis House, she was so much calmer after the visit. Contented, almost.”

I took the package from her and noticed that it said ‘Emily Grant’ on the top instead of ‘Sarah Frobisher-Smythe.’ Nina peered over my shoulder at it as Mrs. Mulligan continued. 

“She told me you two would know what to do with it, and that it was ‘your turn now,’” she chuckled. “Whatever that means.”

“She said something similar to me,” Nina smiled softly.

“You’re welcome to stay here as long as you need,” Mrs. Mulligan offered before leaving us in Sarah’s room.

“I can’t believe she’s gone,” Nina said, taking a seat in her rocking chair.

“Me neither,” I admitted. 

“I got one of your dreams last night,” she continued after a moment of mulling over the string tie on the box. “What did that mean?”

“I don’t know,” I sighed. “I wish I did, but I’m just as lost as you. I took her hand and one minute she was sitting on my bed, the other she was gone.”

“Do you think what we felt was her,” she swallowed. “Dying?”

“A few weeks ago I would’ve said that’s not possible,” I noted. “But now I’m not so sure.”

“What did she mean when she asked if you’d spoken to Anna?”

I sighed, taking a seat on Sarah’s bed.

“When Fabian, Alfie, and I were in the cellar we split up, and I was looking around the cabinets when I saw something,” I started, knowing now was the time. “It was a woman, only a bit older than us, and she said her name was Anna.”

“What?” Nina’s eyes were huge, and her voice was hushed. “Lizzie that’s crazy.”

“I know it is, so I didn’t say anything.”

“What did she say?” 

“She said that Sarah would need my help,” the back of my throat became raw. “I didn’t know what she meant, but when Sarah mentioned it last night—”

“It had to have been Anna,” Nina said decisively. “There’s no other explanation.”

“I’m starting to think that too,” I nodded. “But I don’t think I’ll be going back to the cellar any time soon.”

“I wouldn’t either,” Nina admitted.

Our conversation drifted to silence but neither of us moved to stand. We admired Sarah’s room, for what was probably the last time, and some of her things left on the bed before we finally left. We waved to Mrs. Mulligan, promising to be back tomorrow for the funeral services and returned to Anubis House.

Nina opened the box as soon as we were back in our room. We were sitting on my bed, sifting through the contents when the rest of Sibuna, minus Amber, joined us. I found a few pictures of Anna and Sarah from when they were little, and they brought a sting behind my eyes. I showed them to Patricia as she took a seat beside me.

“Hey, just checking you’re okay?” Fabian asked us.

“Sarah died last night.” Nina gestured to the box in her lap. “These are her things, she wanted Lizzie and me to have them.”

“I’m so sorry, Nina,” Fabian breathed. 

He sat next to Nina and pulled her into a side hug, which she accepted willingly as she was still crying. Patricia laid a soft hand on my arm for comfort and I gave her a grateful smile in return, it was nice to have people. 

“She came to us last night,” Nina said once she stopped crying. “She spoke to us and sat on our beds.”

“Like a ghost? Or…” Alfie asked with concern.

He meant well, but I knew Nina wouldn’t take his question well.

“Alfie,” Patricia chastised.

“Seriously, it freaks me out,” he defended.

I couldn’t agree more with his sentiment, but Nina didn’t seem to be the same way.

“Okay well if you wanna be freaked out about something, be freaked out about the fact that the only person who had any answers, or who could help us in any way, is now gone.” Nina finished with a huff, a few spare tears lingering on her cheeks.

“Sorry,” Alfie mumbled, walking to the other side of the room and pulling out his notebook.

Patricia pulled out a folded paper from the box, opening the yellow pages and examining them. 

“Um, guys,” she said, handing the paper to me.

“Gustav and Isabella Zeno,” I read.

“Rufus’ parents,” Fabian realized.

“What is it?” Nina asked. 

I handed the paper to her and Fabian who looked it over.

“This says that Rufus’ parents became the legal guardians of Sarah and Anna, two years after their parents died.” Fabian flipped the papers to the other side. “There’s a copy of Rufus’ birth certificate right here, he’s definitely the same age as Sarah.”

“That means he must’ve gotten his hands on the elixir at some point,” I added. “There’s no other way he could be that young.”

“That’s exactly what that means,” Fabian agreed.

“What’s this?” Patricia asked, reaching into the box again and pulling out a necklace.

The silver necklace reflected the light of our ceiling fan brightly, Sarah must’ve kept good care of it before she passed. There was a small charm of a woman with her arms spread out, with feathered wings from her hips to her hands. The charm was no bigger than my thumb, but it still drew all of my attention. It looked familiar, but I couldn’t place where I’d seen it.

“It must’ve been Sarah’s,” Nina sighed.

Something in my gut told me it wasn’t Sarah’s, so I picked up one of the pictures of Anna I’d found and inspected it. Sure enough, there it was dangling from Anna’s neck in the picture.

“It’s Anna’s, actually,” I corrected, showing her the picture.

While Nina looked at the picture, Fabian had taken hold of the box. He was sifting through papers we hadn’t gotten to yet, and I saw his jaw hang open after picking up one of the newspaper articles.

“What is it?” I asked.

“I think it’s an obituary,” he swallowed. “For Anna.”

“Ohmygod,” I breathed. “What does it say?”

“‘The body of Anna Frobisher-Smythe was found on the steps of Anubis Estate by step-brother Rufus Zeno,’” he read. “‘Despite the mangled state of her body, the Liverpool coroner declared her death a suicide. Anna Frobisher-Smythe, daughter of the late Robert and Louis Frobisher-Smythe and sister of Sarah Frobisher-Smythe was declared dead at St. John's Hospital at 18:00 hours.’”

“Mangled?” I questioned. “That doesn’t sound like a suicide.”

“No,” Fabian agreed. “It sounds like a murder.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to get out, the world is really dark right now and updating this chapter didn't feel appropriate. It still doesn't, but I know there are people who might need a break from the real world right now. If you're protesting, please be safe and take as many precautions as you can! If you're able to, donate and sign petitions for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. <3
> 
> Separate, thank you so much for 400 hits on this story, that means so much to me <3 Feel free to comment with any suggestions or thoughts you have, thank you so much for reading. New chapter soon!


	23. House of Bribes / House of Venmon

I woke up the next morning with a raw throat and puffy eyes. The little sleep I’d gotten was plagued with flashes of Anna, images of how my subconscious imagined her mutilated body tangled on the steps of Anubis house. I’d almost gotten up in the middle of the night to throw up, but was too groggy to feel confident in my abilities to make it to the bathroom.

Today was the day of the funeral services, and Nina and I were missing classes because of it. Yesterday, we’d tried to carry on as normal by voting for the School Representative but I didn’t pay attention to most of it. I don’t even remember who I voted for—the chances that I turned in an empty ballot or worse, voted for Amelia Pinches, was high. 

Regardless, Mara ended up winning. And I only knew that because Amber went to sleep crying last night, and woke up this morning almost as defeated as Nina and me. Our shared bedroom was beginning to emit an aura of sadness that I didn’t want to be in, and I was grateful we were able to leave school behind for a day, even in these circumstances. 

The metal was cool on my skin as I zipped up my dress. I smoothed out the wrinkles in the dark fabric at the bottom that fell at my knees and reached for my jacket that was waiting on my bed. Next to my jacket was the box of Sarah’s things—Nina and I had gone through it again this morning. The necklace was still there, atop Anna’s picture, glinting in the light of our room. Without thinking, I snatched the necklace and slipped it into the pocket of my dress.  _ Anna would’ve wanted to be here _ , I thought to myself. 

Fabian walked just as I was stuffing the necklace in my pocket, and gave me a sad smile as a greeting. I nodded at him, knowing he came to comfort Nina, rather than me. Nina was standing at our mirror, adjusting her dress and hair. They exchanged a sentimental glance, and Fabian fidgeted as if to walk toward her, but settled on her bed instead. 

I sighed, hoping that eventually one of them would fess up their feelings for each other. I knew Nina wasn’t particularly approving of the idea of love, but she deserved to be happy. She just needed a push, or a person worth fighting for.

“Okay, so I got beat by a mathlete in the election,” Amber said, breaking the somber silence. “I can’t hide away here forever, I mean it’s not like my life’s over or anything.”

I raised my eyebrows at Amber’s words, while Fabian stared at her, waiting for her to acknowledge her word choice. Nina walked away, putting on her jacket but not bothering to mull over Amber’s statement.

“I’m so sorry you guys.” Amber turned around in her chair, her mouth agape with realization.

“It’s okay,” Nina and I said together. 

“You’ve always got us, remember,” Fabian stood as he spoke.

“Why don’t you buy some flowers,” Amber said, holding out a few bills. 

“We can’t take that.” Nina shook her head.

“They can be from all of us,” Amber continued. “Please, I’d like you to.”

“Thanks, Amber,” I said as Nina took the money from her.

As Amber gave me a grateful expression Patricia and Alfie’s voices could be heard from the hallway. They got louder as the pair burst through the door, seemingly in a dispute.

“Alfie she is not, tell him, Fabian,” Patricia defended before turning to us. “Alfie reckons Joy is one of  _ them _ .”

“I didn’t say  _ she  _ is,” Alfie refuted. “But her dad definitely is.”

“Whoa, whoa, wait. Rewind—what?” Fabian interrupted.

“Trixie was showing me some photos on her phone—” Alfie started.

“And one of them is of me and Joy, and her Mom and Dad,” Patricia said.

“And it was him, the man from the cellar,” Alfie explained. “Joy’s Dad.”

“I knew it,” Nina scoffed.

“Well, even if Joy’s Dad is involved, there is  _ no way _ Joy would ever be,” Patricia continued.

“Well, she did back up his story,” Fabian pointed out.

“Fabian!” Patricia sneered at him “.This is Joy we’re talking about— _ Joy _ . You and her were  _ really _ close, remember?”

I noticed how Fabian stiffened at Patricia’s words, glancing uncomfortably at Nina before continuing. A knowing smile was plastered on Alfie’s face, something that told be Fabian’s old feelings for Joy weren’t very secretive. 

“Wha-No, we weren’t that close,” Fabian stuttered.

“You people are unbelievable.” Patricia huffed and stormed out of the room, letting the door slam shut behind her.

* * *

The snow from the previous days had melted, but the ground was still firm as we stood for the service. Nina and I along with Mrs. Mulligan and the four other attendees were standing on a felt rug in front of a dug grave. Sarah’s casket was lowered halfway as the Priest said a few words. 

I bit my lip as the wind picked up, grateful I’d chosen to wear thick tights. Nina and I had picked up a bouquet of lilies on our way to the services, with Amber’s money. Nina was holding onto them, but our arms were intertwined and I could feel her shivering as we listened to the eulogy. Whether or not she was shivering because she was cold or for another reason wasn’t clear.

Funerals weren’t foreign to us. We attended our first one when we were nine after our grandfather died. Three years later was our parents’ car crash—they had a combined service and burial. Sarah was being buried alone, not beside Anna or her parents. 

“And so today, we entrust our sister Emily to God’s mercy,” the priest said.

“Her name was Sarah,” Nina grumbled.

I gave her hand a squeeze, and she held on tightly.

“And now we commit a body to the ground,” he continued. “Earth to Earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”

Mrs. Mulligan edged us forward, to place our flowers on her casket. I felt the weight of the necklace bounce in my pocket as we walked toward the grave. We paused at the edge, my breath catching in my throat as the sight of Sarah’s coffin came into view. Nina let go of my hand and I watched her place the flowers on top of Sarah’s casket.

I blinked as my vision started to blur, deciding to draw my eyes away from the sight. When I looked up, I made eye contact with someone I didn’t think would show: Victor. His face was neutral but softer than the normal apathetic gaze we were accustomed to. If I had to guess, I would say he looked sad. 

Mrs. Mulligan guided us away after Nina stood. But Nina grabbed my hand once she noticed Victor’s presence. She was tense for the rest of the service, but I tried to remain calm as her shoulders began to shake when Sarah’s casket was officially lowered. 

My heart weighed heavily beating in my chest, even though I didn’t have the same connection with Sarah that Nina did. I felt a warm tear make its way down my cheek and didn’t bother wiping it away. This was the time to cry, our tears were more than justified.

I reached into my dress pocket, feeling the necklace as the Priest finished the eulogy. My fingers caught on the charm, and I dragged my thumb over the wings, feeling the details in the metal design. Across the cemetery, my eye caught on a pair of familiar shoes as I fiddled with the necklace.

The pair of shoes was attached to a pair of feet, and those were attached to a pair of legs, and then a body. It was Anna. She was in the same green paisley dress I’d seen her wearing the first time, but she had on a wide white hat. 

She smiled and gave me a small wave. Following her hand, I saw it drift to the side and take hold of someone else’s. When I noticed the other figure I realized it was Sarah. In her old age, she was shorter than Anna, but the resemblance between them was still striking.

They mouthed something in unison, but I couldn’t put together what they meant as Nina started to tug on my arm. The service had ended, apparently, and we were the only ones left in front of the grave.

“Do you see them?” I pointed at the direction they’d been in.

“Who?” Nina followed my gaze, but realization never crossed her face.

“I saw Anna,” I explained, gripping her hand tightly. “And Sarah.”

“What? Are you sure?” 

“I’m positive.”

I looked around the cemetery trying to find them but they were nowhere to be seen.

“C’mon,” Nina said softly. “Let’s get inside before they wonder where we are.”

I sighed, knowing how I must’ve sounded. But they were there, just as clear as Anna had been in the cellar and Sarah in our dreams. I didn’t think I was imagining things. 

Mrs. Mulligan directed us to the dining area where there were tea sandwiches and other assorted foods. They looked good, and if I hadn’t been so thrown off I may have been hungry enough to take a few bites, but that wasn’t the case. 

Nina sat with the Priest for a moment, but I wasn’t paying attention to them as I saw a person enter Sarah’s room. Victor noticed it too, apparently, and followed the person into the room. I lingered outside the door, making sure I was out of their sightline, gesturing to Nina with a head tilt for her to join me.

As she arrived, the person turned around as Victor spoke to him, it was Rufus.

“You have something that belongs to me,” he said.

“Oh, the elixir?” Rufus asked. “It’s all gone, I’m afraid, or very nearly. So, when does your supply run out?”

“I’m not talking about your pernicious threat from years ago,” Victor scoffed. “I’m talking about the items you stole from my safe.”

Nina and I shared a glance, suddenly aware that Victor would figure out Rufus wasn’t the one who’d taken his items.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh I think you do,” Victor pushed,

“And what would you give me Victor, in return for these items?”

“I don’t do deals.”

“Oh, come come, you know that’s not true.” Rufus’ voice was soft and vindictive. “We did a deal all those years ago to swindle Sarah out of her home.”

I felt my jaw hang open, and as I looked to Nina I saw hers was the same.

“She wanted to sell, she’d always hated the place,” Victor defended.

What I assumed to be Rufus’ laugh sounded from the room, Victor wasn’t one for laughing. I heard Victor grumble something at Rufus, but I couldn’t make out exactly what he said.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I heard Rufus respond clearly.

“Where are they?”

“Where is the chosen one?” 

“Where are the Ankh pieces?”

“We’re going around in circles, old man,” Rufus raised his voice. “You do realize that Joy by herself is totally useless.”

“If you mean do I also have the seven acolytes then yes,” Victor was still calm as he responded. “It’s all been arranged.”

I squinted in confusion, wondering what Joy’s role was in all of this, and what Victor meant by “the seven acolytes.” From where I stood I caught a glimpse of Rufus’ face, with a look of realization painted across it.

“Oh yes, the tipping of the scales of life, that old legend.” He tilted his head to the side. “But only I know what that really means. Speaking of meaning, don’t you find it odd that the two American’s showed up just in time?”

“What are you going on about?”

“Well, Sarah and Anna were twins, so are Nina and Elizabeth.”

Nina and I shared a disgusted expression as we heard our names brought into the conversation. I’d hoped he’d forgotten about us, but the way he said our names gave me the impression he knew something we didn’t.

“Joy is the chosen one,” Victor said.

“Are you sure about that?” Rufus laughed. 

“I will not entertain your silly theories and tricks.”

“You might want to reconsider,” he taunted. “Only I know what will happen when the chosen one and the cup come together. Now tell me, where is Joy?”

Rufus’ final demand was cut short as Mrs. Mulligan spotted us by the doorway. She opened the door quickly, gasping when she saw the sight of the room. Nina took the opportunity to poke her head inside, and I followed her lead by standing next to her in the doorway.

“Renee?” Mrs. Mulligan asked. “Why weren’t you at your Aunt’s funeral?”

Rufus ignored her, pushing her aside and nearly bumping into me as he left the room. His disgruntled gaze paused on mine as I moved out of his way. There was curiosity in his eyes and a fit of lingering anger that only confused me. A moment later he was gone, and an unsettling feeling brewed in my gut.

“Oh my goodness,” Mrs. Mulligan whispered as she surveyed the damage Rufus had done to the room.

Rufus had torn through all of the suitcases and boxes left in Sarah’s room, looking for who-knows-what. When I finished surveying the room, I caught Victor’s gaze as he stared at my sister and I. He knew we’d been listening, his steady expression told us that he hadn’t decided what to do with that knowledge. I held my expression as neutral as possible as I took my sister’s hand and pulled her away from Victor’s deafening look.

* * *

The rest of the reception went smoothly, Nina and I were able to avoid Victor for the remaining portion. We got back to Anubis House about an hour before dinner and didn’t have much time to meet with Sibuna to fill them in on what happened. We agreed to have a meeting after dinner, so in the meantime I showered, trying to shake off what happened. 

Rufus’ look as still fresh in my mind, as were Anna and Sarah. I felt defeated, and tired. It had been a long day, and there was still more to go. I don’t know how Nina did it, how she was able to keep herself together so well. I was barely holding myself together and here she was calm and collected. Then again, Nina wasn’t seeing ghosts, like I was.

After an emotionally cathartic shower, I changed into comfortable clothes and headed downstairs for dinner. I wasn’t very hungry, but somehow managed a few bites of pasta. I didn’t really talk during dinner, neither did Nina. Patricia, Mara, and Alfie filled up most of the conversation. Mick was oddly quiet, but I couldn’t focus on it long enough to find out why. 

The biggest surprise was Trudy making oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for dessert. She’d given me a knowing smile when she brought them out, but I wondered how she found out they were my favorite. I didn’t obsess over it, however, because we had Sibuna business. I took two of them on a small plate and sat next to Amber as Nina filled everyone in.

“Rufus was definitely one of them,” Nina explained. “And listen to this—they said Joy was ‘the chosen one.’”

“I told you she was part of it!” Alfie pointed at Patricia.

“Alfie she’s not part of it, maybe she’s not choosing to be chosen.” Patricia sighed. “I need to get a hold of her.”

“So Rufus was one of them?” Amber asked,

“Was,” Nina emphasized. “They kicked him out, or something like that.”

“I don’t think he left on good terms,” I added through a mouthful of cookies.

“Oh, and Victor thinks that he stole the puzzle pieces,” Nina continued. “Only he called them Ankh pieces, I think they’re more than just clues.”

“Okay guys listen up, I have some news as well,” Fabian confessed when Nina was finished. “I overheard the teachers talking, and tonight they’re going to initiate Jason fully into their society.”

“So, we’re going back down to the cellar?” Alfie asked.

Fabian shrugged grimly as a response, and my gut twisted at the thought of going back down there. I managed to swallow the rest of my bite without spitting it out at the thought of the cellar but refrained from taking another. 

The sound of Victor’s footsteps halted the rest of our conversation, and as they drew closer he appeared in the doorway. 

“Nina and Lizzie Martin,” he started. “A word, my office.”

He waited until Nina stood before walking away. I felt my eyebrows dip in worry as Nina and I left the group, equally concerned expressions across their faces. We followed Victor silently and took the two seats in his office once we arrived. I shivered as the door slammed shut and Victor proceeded to circle us like we were his prey. Did he think Rufus was right? Were my sister and I involved somehow? 

“I know that you know that Emily Grant was, in fact, Sarah Frobisher-Smythe so let us not pretend, okay?” He rested his arm on Nina’s chair, leaning in close with deepened eyebrows and a menacing sneer. “I also know that you both are aware of her link to this house.”

“She-she told me she used to live here,” Nina explained as Victor stood. “But who knows, she wasn’t exactly Sarah  _ Clarity _ -Smythe.”

“She spent most of our visits talking to herself,” I added.

Victor sighed as he took a seat at his desk, folding his hands atop it and giving a neutral expression.

“Listen to me—Rufus Zeno is an extremely dangerous man, you have surely seen that for yourself. I can protect you.” He spoke with a light tone as if he were talking to children.

“We don’t know anything else,” Nina denied. “Just that Rufus is after Joy’s Dad for some reason and that’s why she’s gone into hiding, but you told us that. So…”

Her voice trailed off, and I felt no need to add anything to what she’d said. For once, she was good at lying and I didn’t want to embellish. The doorbell rang downstairs, and I heard Trudy answer it, filling the lull in our conversation. She called for Victor, cutting our discussion.

“Get out,” Victor grumbled, his unappealing frown making an unsurprising return.

Nina and I sprung to our feet in unison, both eager to leave his presence. He followed slowly, however, as we raced down the stairs where the rest of Sibuna was waiting for us. Victor signed for his package wordlessly and returned to his office.

Trudy said thank you to the delivery man for Victor before ushering us back to the dining room. When we returned I saw that my plate, which had one remaining cookie on it, was now empty. I glared at Alfie, who only returned with a measly shrug and half-apologetic smile. 

Sighing, I picked up my plate and walked to the kitchen to get another one while Sibuna resumed their discussion.

“You okay?” Fabian asked.

“Yeah, just trying to shake the Victor off me,” she played it off, but I could tell she was uneasy.

I groaned at the singular cookie on my plate, and after a moment’s contemplation, I grabbed another one from the tray and popped it in my mouth.

“So, what’s he got in the box?” Amber asked.

“Something for the ceremony maybe,” Fabian suggested.

Jerome entered swiftly as Fabian finished his sentiment. I stayed where I was, somehow feeling safer hiding in the kitchen rather than the dining room. I took another bite of the cookie for comfort, but my stomach was doing flips.

“What box? What ceremony?” He asked.

“None of your business,” Patricia sneered, not missing a beat.

“Alfie?” He pinpointed.

“Um,” Alfie mumbled, looking distraught.

Jerome’s stare intensified, waiting for Alfie to mumble out an excuse.

“Victor’s got a box,” Alfie said slowly, Amber nodding along beside him. Fabian was shaking his head ever-so-slightly at Alfie, and I was doing something similar from behind the counter in the kitchen. “And I said that maybe he’s trying to build himself a robot girlfriend, and then get married.”

Alfie finished his lie with a laugh, Ambering joining in to help sell it. I closed my eyes with a sigh, you’d think that after doing the play we’d be better actors.

“Right, fine,” Jerome said sharply. He glanced between everyone at the table, landing on the empty seat next to Amber before whipping his head to the kitchen. He blinked at me, his eyes softening only for a moment as the edges of his lips dipped. My heart lurched, seeing the disappointment in his eyes.

“Fine, keep your secrets,” he repeated, tearing his eyes away from me and surveying the rest of the group. “I couldn’t care less.”

My gut twisted as he sneered and left the room. He’d mumbled the last sentence as he left the room, but I heard it. The room filled with awkward silence as I returned to my seat once he was gone, noting Alfie’s still-distraught expression. 

“What a slimeball,” Patricia muttered.

The rest of the group, aside from Alfie and me, laughed softly at her distinction. I didn’t and debated whether or not I should stick up for him. But when Alfie didn’t even say anything I felt better about being silent, though it didn’t sit entirely well with me.

* * *

We reconvened at half-past ten in the kitchen, all of us in our pajamas. I was grateful we agreed on going down together, there was power in numbers after all. Amber had packed a bag, allegedly with supplies for the stakeout. Who knows what Amber considered “supplies,” though. It could be a bag full of lipgloss and mirrors for all we knew.

Fabian must’ve had a similar thought process when he saw Amber because her bag was the first thing he noted.

“Amber, what’s with the giant bag?”

“Supplies for our stakeout, in case of emergency,” she explained as she stuffed a magazine inside.

“Where’s Victor?” Nina asked, moving the conversation along.

“We don’t know,” Fabian answered.

“What if he’s already down there?” Alfie worried.

“I don’t know if I want to do this, guys,” Amber said suddenly.

“Amber, w—” I started, but was cut off by the sound of the oven door opening.

The indentation where Nina normally put her necklace was glowing red, but the necklace was still around Nina’s neck. It had opened all on its own. I didn’t bother finishing my sentence, as my mind had gone completely blank at the sight.

“Okay, I’m certain I don’t want to do this.” Amber shook her head definitively. 

“It’s the house guys, it’s okay.” Nina took a deep breath. “It’s telling us it’s safe to go down there.”

“I hate it when the house talks,” Amber whispered.

“You have no idea how much I agree,” I responded.

“Okay,” Fabian nodded slowly. “Let’s do it.”

“I’m gonna stay here, there’s something I have to do,” Patricia told us.

“Joy?” Nina and I asked together.

Patricia nodded at us, and we gave each other the hand signal before separating. While Patricia went upstairs, the rest of us crawled through the oven door and down to the cellar. Thankfully, Victor wasn’t down there yet, so we were able to find a place to hide before the initiation. We decided on a small room tucked to the side, it was empty and there was no reason for anyone to go back there. It was the perfect hiding spot. 

I shivered as I sat down on the cellar floor, the cold from the coming winter was seeping in through the windows and my thin pajamas weren’t much cover. I noted that for the next stakeout to wear thick clothing.

Amber handed Alfie a fur vest from her bag, as he’d made a comment about the cold as well. She reached into her bag and pulled out a light blue blanket, surveying the group.

“Anyone else?” She offered.

“Actually, yeah.” Fabian took the blanket with a sheepish smile.

“Lizzie?” Amber pulled out a sweatshirt.

“Yes please,” I smiled as I took the dark blue clothing.

Amber offered a red blanket to Nina but she shook her head.

“Red’s too bright, they’ll see us,” she explained. “I’m fine.”

“You can use this if you want to.” Fabian motioned to his blanket.

Nina nodded softly, and I noted the blush that crept up her cheeks even in the dark. I wondered when she would realize her feelings for him, and on top of that, do something about them. I wasn’t one to talk, as I hadn’t done anything about my feelings. In my defense, however, the person I had feelings for asked out someone else and expressed no interest in doing the same for me. My neglect made sense, Nina just doesn’t know what to do.

I was taken out of my thoughts when the cellar door opening echoed through the basement. I steadied my breathing, trying to make it as shallow and quiet as possible, but I wasn’t sure how effective it was considering Alfie’s rapid breath. He was probably the most nervous out of all of us, having seen one of the ceremonies before and had nightmares about it.

When everyone finally settled, they began with the ceremony. From our spot, we could see their gold robes and Victor lighting candles. On the table in front of them were a variety of bottles and the package that Victor had gotten this morning.

“Time to become a full member of the society, Jason,” Victor said as he set a candle in its post.

“You already know about the elixir of life,” Mrs. Andrews jumped in.

“Brewed by Victor’s father to slow down the aging process, yes,” Mr. Winkler clarified.

“I am living proof, how old do you think I am Jason?” Victor didn’t wait for Mrs. Winkler to finish and instead answered for him. “Ninety-five years of age, I am ninety-five.”

“You look amazing,” Mr. Winkler noted. “For ninety-five.”

“It is a potent beverage, yes. But sadly, this is all we have left.” Victor held up the bottle of elixir, and it was less than a quarter of the way filled.

“Sadly Victor’s father had an accident before he could pass on the secret,” Mrs. Andrews explained. 

“Victor has tried many times over the years to replicate his father’s recipe but has, alas, been unable to do so,” Mr. Sweet finished.

“None of that will matter soon, once we unite the Ankh with the chosen one,” Victor noted. “We shall no longer need the elixir. We shall tip the scales of life and become truly immortal.”

I squinted in confusion as I watched their interaction. What did “tipping the scales of life” entail? My mind wandered back to the coins we found in Victor’s desk, one for each of the residents of Anubis House, and a chill went down my spine. 

“Legend has it that when the elixir of life is drunk from the Ankh—” Another man started.

“That’s Joy’s dad,” Fabian realized.

“The person drinking from the cup obtains immortality,” he finished.

“And one day, very soon, we shall achieve this.” Victor placed a mask on Mr. Winkler’s face, and the group started chanting. Victor and Mr. Winkler remained in place while the rest of the group started circling them. I frowned, beginning to feel uneasy at the sight.

After a minute they stopped and moved silently behind Mr. Winkler. Victor picked up a vial from his table and placed it on a bunsen burner on the table.

“Welcome new novice,” Victor began. “We’re here to deliver you from the valley of the dead onto the mountain of eternal life,” 

The chant started up again as Victor reached beside him and into the crate. With both hands, he pulled out a snake. I squirmed at the sight, my fear of snakes and my anxieties about the cellar combing for an awful tension that weighed on my chest. 

Victor held the snake over a half-opened skull and squeezed its head. Drops of poison dripped from its fangs and into the skull before Victor put the snake back in its crate. Next, he picked up the skull and held it to his lips.

“Yuck!” Amber yelled instinctively, loud enough for Victor to pause and look in our direction.

We raced behind the wall, and I held my hand over my mouth to keep from breathing too loudly. Victor’s footsteps were loud as they came toward us, and the sound of my rapid heartbeat echoed through my ears. Alfie was shaking next to me, holding onto my arm for comfort. We were so screwed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading!! I'm hoping to have another chapter up by the end of this week, we're so close to the end it's crazy!!! Feel free to comment any thoughts or suggestions, I love hearing your feedback <3


	24. House of Stars / House of Harsh

I put my hand over Alfie’s, trying to calm him despite the fact that I wasn’t even okay myself. I stared at the wall in front of me, too afraid to look away or blink. My heart, which was already rapidly racing, jumped in fear when a leg popped out of the wall. The leg was followed by a body, and I registered who it was as soon as I saw her necklace.

Alfie dug his nails into my shoulder, and I tore my eyes away from Anna momentarily to see what was wrong. Alfie was staring wide-eyed at Anna, his face contorted in fear and confusion. 

I was barely able to linger on this when Anna started moving. She moved to the archway we’d been watching under and stood with her palm outwards. Her eyes narrowed at, presumably, Victor. Victor’s footsteps halted, but I expected to see his head around the corner any moment.

And then his footsteps retreated.

“It’s just a rat,” he said.

One side of Anna’s mouth curved upwards, and she sent me a wink as she walked back into the wall. I turned back to Alfie to find him staring at the spot on the wall where she’d disappeared. How had he seen her? Did this mean I wasn’t crazy?

The rest of the ceremony went quickly, and they were gone in the next fifteen minutes. We waited for an extra ten before coming back upstairs, just in case Victor was making an appearance on the first floor. 

“That was seriously close,” Fabian breathed as he got out.

“Victor must really want to stay young if he drank snake poison, I mean that’s what plastic surgery’s for,” Amber mumbled.

“What was that down there?” Alfie screeched.

“The snake?” Fabian asked.

“That  _ woman _ ,” he clarified with a point at the oven door.

“What woman?” Fabian continued.

“You didn’t see her?” Alfie asked.

Nina had gotten out of the door and locked it when she finally picked up on the conversation. She looked to me for confirmation and I nodded. Unfortunately, Alfie picked up on our exchange.

“What was that nod? Who was that?”

Fabian shushed him, not wanting to wake Victor or Trudy.

“That was Anna Frobisher-Smythe,” I explained.

“What?” Fabian asked.

“I’ve seen her once before down there, and then again today at Sarah’s funeral,” I furthered. “I thought I was going insane, but Alfie you saw her too?”

“I saw her walk out of a wall and then wink at us and disappear,” he whispered harshly. “That’s nightmare fuel for the next two months.”

“I think she was helping us,” I defended.

“How?” Nina asked.

“She stood in the doorway with her hand out, like she was telling Victor to stop.”

“Do you think that’s why he didn’t see us?” Fabian theorized.

I nodded.

“Alfie, how did you see her?” Nina inquired.

“I don’t know,” he cried. “I didn’t want to!”

“Me neither,” I admitted.

“And you saw her at the funeral?” Nina turned to me.

“I saw her and Sarah, holding hands.”

“Talk about creepy,” Amber noted.

“I didn’t sign up for creepy,” Alfie spoke up. “I signed up for treasure, so are we even still looking for that or is this a ghost mystery now?”

“We need to find it before the teachers do,” Fabian answered. 

“Or Rufus Zeno,” I added.

“We can’t talk about this now,” my sister noted. “Right now, let’s just get out of here and get to bed. We’re not home safe yet.”

“You’re right, we can talk about this in the morning,” Fabian agreed.

We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. My body was exhausted from the day, and I was more than ready for sleep.

* * *

I woke up late the next morning and only had enough time to snatch a pastry out of the kitchen before making it to class. I felt better after a full night’s sleep, but I couldn’t say the same for Alfie. When I passed him in the hallway his eyes were sunken in and had deep circles around them. He definitely wasn’t handling this well, and I knew I needed to talk to him.

During our lunch hour, we held an impromptu Sibuna meeting in the courtyard. Most of the snow on the ground was gone, and the only problem was the wind. Amber made a few complaints about her shoes, but that was to be expected.

“Okay guys,” Nina started. “I think our first priority should be the search for the cup, especially after what we learned last night. We need to find it before they do”

“Imagine what Victor might do with the secret to eternal life,” Patricia agreed. “World domination.”

“No,” Alfie scoffed. “World domination to Victor is six billion people in bed by ten p.m.”

“Okay, these objects—puzzles—whatever,” Nina continued. “They’re the key somehow, but until we’ve got them all we won’t know what that is.”

“So c’mon guys,” Fabian jumped in. “We need to get our brains into gear.”

“Easier said than done,” Alfie grumbled.

“Yeah, you aren’t seeing ghosts,” I pointed out.

“Then try your best,” Fabian encouraged. “‘To find the secret from the past, you must look beyond the world through glass.’”

“And before anyone says anything about a mirror—it’s not a mirror, we’ve already checked them all,” my sister refuted.

“You can’t see through mirrors anyways,” Amber noted.

“Good point, I should’ve come to you first as the mirror expert.” Nina and Amber exchanged a smile. 

“Have you guys seen the time? We were due for lunch five minutes ago.” Patricia snatched up her bag as she stood.

“I gotta go put this stuff back behind the panel,” Nina said. “So I’ll meet you guys back there.”

“Do you want help?” I offered.

“No, I’ll be fine,” she shrugged. “Besides, there’s less of a chance of Victor catching us if only one of us goes.”

I nodded, giving her a ‘Good luck’ before walking back to the school with Patricia, Alfie, and Amber. Fabian stayed behind to talk with Nina for a bit, but I heard his footsteps behind us a few moments later.

“I can’t believe Mara broke up with Mick,” Amber huffed.

“Wait when did that happen?” I asked, a nervous chord striking through me.

“She broke up with him yesterday,” Amber explained.

“Yeah, after she found out Mick tried to rig the elections so she’d win,” Patricia snorted.

“What do you mean tried to?”

“The kid in charge of the counting never got the chance to put in the extra votes, so Mara won fair and square,” Amber answered quietly.

“Jerome had a field day, that slimeball,” Patricia noted. “He practically orchestrated the entire thing.”

“Of course he did,” I sighed. I was beginning to lose faith in him, which was more disappointing than I wanted it to be. “He asked Mara out when Mick was gone.”

“What?” Patricia and Amber exclaimed.

“Yup, she told me herself.” I internally cringed at how bitter I sounded.

“How slimy,” Patricia rolled her eyes. “Right when Mick is out of town.”

“And they were technically dating,” I recalled. “But now nothing is stopping him from trying again.”

“I can think of one thing,” Alfie thought.

He’d been so quiet that I’d forgotten he was even there, so I looked to him in surprise when he finally spoke up.

“Oh? Do tell,” Patricia encouraged.

“Nah it’s just a hunch,” Alfie shrugged, looking at the ground.

“Uh-huh, okay,” I said in disbelief. “Regardless, it sounds like Jerome orchestrated this to break them up.”

“That’s exactly what it was,” Patricia agreed. “Ugh, he’s so manipulative.”

“Yeah,” my voice trailed off. 

I don’t know why I was so surprised and disappointed, to hear about his recent antics. I knew this about him, I did, but I’d never seen much of it myself. He’d been kind to me, if anything more than kind, and yet to everyone else he acted like a completely different person. Well, everyone else aside from Mara. 

I sighed as we walked through the doors of the school, glad for the change in the environment to distract me. I stopped at my locker to drop off my coat, but I jumped involuntarily when I closed the door and was met with Jerome’s concerned face.

“Hey, how are you?” He asked.

“Fine.”

He squinted at me in disbelief.

“Really, all good.” I shot him a tight-lipped smile.

His eyes wandered over my face, and I grew unsteady under his gaze.

“What about you?” I turned the conversation to him. “I heard Mara broke up with Mick yesterday.”

“Oh, yeah, it was quite the sight,” he returned to his normal demeanor.

“Are you gonna try to ask Mara out again?” I couldn’t help myself from asking.

“Um,” he cleared his throat. “I haven’t really decided.”

“What’s stopping you?” I asked, anger bubbling in my chest. “You didn’t seem to mind asking her out when she and Mick were already dating.”

He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Where’s this coming from?”

“I just don’t like you messing with my friends’ feelings.”

“Noted,” he frowned.

“We’re going to be late to English,” I pointed out.

I didn’t wait for his reply as I turned away, my knuckles becoming white from my stern grip on my notebooks. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. I needed to get a hold of myself and get a grip on reality. 

I sighed as I walked into English, we were finishing  _ Atonement _ today, and I hadn’t caught up on our readings. I sat next to Patricia just as the bell rang. I ignored it when Jerome and Alfie came in late, both with annoyed expressions. I tried to focus on the book, but Mrs. Andrews’ speech about forgiveness and atoning for your mistakes went right over my head.

* * *

It was official, today sucked. There was no other way to think about it. I was in a terrible mood, from the ghosts, the uncovered clues, and most of all in myself. I’d let Jerome get to me so easily when I knew I needed to protect myself. I didn’ want to end up hurt again, so I had to push everything down and pretend my heart didn’t hurt.

And that’s how I found myself in the kitchen that evening making muffins despite the array of pastries Trudy had made for the next morning. I poured all my frustrations into my muffins—Sarah, Anna, Victor, Rufus, Jerome. The list was extensive and too simple to just make one type of muffin. I was too indecisive, and wound up taking half the batch and making chocolate chip while the others were blueberry,

I had one of my favorite movies,  _ A Cinderella Story _ , pulled up on my laptop and resting on the counter. By the time I put the muffins in the oven the movie was halfway over. I didn’t question where the rest of the Anubis residents were, as I was enjoying spending my time by myself. 

Just as I was cleaning up, Nina and Fabian burst through the doors of the living room.

“Lizzie, c’mere,” Nina waved me over.

“What’s up?” I set my mixing bowl in the sink and hitting pause on my computer.

They were standing by the telescope, which I’d forgotten was even there, and I joined them next to it. Nina was bent over, looking through the eyepiece as Fabian opened the curtains.

“I don’t even know what I’m looking for,” Nina sighed. “I can’t see anything.”

“This is about the clue right?” I guessed.

“‘Look beyond the world through glass.’” Fabian pointed to the telescope.

“Ohmygod that makes so much more sense than a mirror,” I realized.

Fabian frowned at me, as the mirror had been his idea, but I only shrugged back at him.

“Try focusing on the moon?” Fabian turned back to Nina.

“There it is!” Nina gasped. “There’s something written, I can’t make it out though.”

“I can try,” Fabian stepped in, squinting his eyes. “‘Unleash the power and light the way, find the demisphere hidden below.’ We’re back in business.”

Nina and I shared an excited laugh. Fabian’s smile lit up half his face, his eyes glittering when they landed on my sister. My smile faltered, but I tried to ignore the heartache in my chest as I forced my lips to turn upward. 

The chime from the clock rang through the house, indicating it was nine p.m. The timer on my muffins was due to go off in twenty minutes. Victor’s footsteps joined in time with the clock, and he peered his head in from the front hallway. 

“Doing a little stargazing were we?” 

“Us? No!” My sister started, and a deep worry festered in my heart. “We were just, uh, looking for the nearest bowling alley. Fabian loves to bowl—”

“Don’t lie to me Ms. Martin, you have no talent for it.” On a regular day, I would’ve found Victor’s jab at Nina’s bad lying funny, but at the moment I was more worried about him finding out about the next clue. “Let’s see what’s caught your eye, shall we?”

Victor bent towards the telescope, and I started to panic.

“Wait!” Fabian said suddenly. “Victor, I can hear Jerome and Alfie having a water fight.”

Victor sneered at Fabian’s lackluster lie and took hold of the telescope. I held my breath and watched, racking my brain for an excuse or something I could say to keep him off our trail. I didn’t have much time to think, however, as Victor stood abruptly a moment later.

“Only you, Rutter,” he said, looking down at Fabian. “Only you would choose such a cloudy night to stargaze.”

The three of us let out a collective laugh of relief, knowing Victor hadn’t seen the message. With that, Victor stormed past us and exited the living room. 

“We should get researching,” Fabian jumped in. “We still have an hour until lights out.”

Nina nodded, and without waiting for my response they both left, rushing for Fabian’s room. I decided not to join, partly because I knew they needed alone time and partly because the kitchen was a disaster. Walking back in, it looked like a tornado had wrecked the room. Granted, a tornado of sugar and chocolate chips, but a tornado nonetheless.

I resumed my movie and continued to clean in peace. I was so absorbed in my task that I failed to notice when Jerome came in through the back door and jumped wildly when I turned around to see him eyeing the muffins in the oven.

“Didn’t Trudy just make cookies?” He asked.

“I needed to bake something,” I shrugged. “I’ve been in a mood.”

“Yeah, I noticed.” He straightened, avoiding my gaze.

“Sorry about that,” I said with newfound clarity. “I didn’t mean to—”

“No, you were right.” He finally looked up. “I shouldn’t be messing with people’s feelings like I have been, it’s not fair.”

“Well I’m still a little sorry, I could’ve been nicer about it.”

He shrugged and squinted at me, deciding how to move on. “So no late-night adventures with your Scooby gang?” He asked eventually.

“Nope, we’ve got the night off.” A smile toyed at my lips. “But I suspect we’ll be back into the swing of things tomorrow.”

“Naturally.” His eyes brightened as if he remembered something. “Are you going down to the cellar again? Where the ghost was?”

“Probably,” I sighed, the smile drifted from my face. “But who knows if I’ll see Anna again, ghosts don’t even exist.”

“Not that we know of,” Jerome pointed out. “There are a lot of things we don’t know about that exist.”

“That’s a good point.”

“Don’t sound so surprised,” Jerome chuckled. “I mean for all we know, there could be a treasure hidden in this house.”

His tone was light but his expression was hard. Anticipation and hope sprinkled in his eyes, but I knew my sister would kill me if I told him anything. He was one of the only people I found it easy to open up to, to not shy away from, and here I was keeping all these secrets. 

These secrets could get him killed, I remembered. I couldn’t tell him anything, it was for his own good that he didn’t know.

“You’re right,” I shrugged, and I internally kicked myself for the way Jerome’s eyes lit up. “It’s an old house, you never know what you’d find.”

His frown was evident on his face as I still didn’t give him any details.

“I’ve always wondered about this oven,” he said, moving the conversation. He pointed to the old one that never worked, and was the door to the cellar that we used.

“Yeah it’s weird isn’t it?” I played along.

“We should talk to Trudy about getting it replaced,” Jerome offered with an all-too-eager tone. “That way you could make twice as many desserts, wouldn’t that be nice?”

“I’m fine with just one oven,” I said plainly. 

“Right.” His eyes drifted across my face, frustration showing through his dipped eyebrows and a tight smile. 

The muffin timer went off loudly, causing a jolt of surprise to shudder through me. Jerome looked startled as well, but he must’ve recovered quicker than I because when I looked back after turning the timer off he was gone. 

I sighed with relief, though a deep worry weighed on my mind at the thought of Jerome knowing more about the elixir and the cup. I needed to talk to Alfie, he would know if I was right about Jerome, and maybe what to do about it.

* * *

I woke up the next morning groggy and confused. Nina and Amber weren’t in the room, and judging by their made beds they were already downstairs for breakfast. I groaned, realizing I was late and they didn't wake me up. Part of me was grateful to have gotten more sleep, but the more prevalent part of me was annoyed they’d left me. 

I decided to try and not let it bother me, we didn’t need another Grumpy Lizzie after yesterday’s dose. We had bigger things on our plate today: the new clue and then the Jerome situation.

I scrambled to get ready, hoping to catch Alfie on the way to school if he hadn’t left already. On my way out of Anubis House, I snatched a chocolate chip muffin of mine, very grateful Alfie and Mick hadn’t eaten them all yet.

My shoulders sank when I saw Jerome and Alfie walking a few paces ahead of me, in what seemingly looked like a heated discussion. I tried my best to catch up with them, but the sidewalks weren’t entirely clear of last night's snow and I found myself slipping on the frozen ground.

I was only a few paces behind them, close enough to hear them throwing around Mara’s name when I lost my footing. With a yelp and loud smack, I hit the ground, my skirt barely protecting my butt from the cold. Thankfully, I’d had an iron grip on my muffin and it didn’t falter as I crashed onto the ground.

“Ow,” I groaned, registering the pain going through my back.

I looked up when I heard a hearty laugh to find Jerome and Alfie with wide smiles.

“Are you okay?” Alfie asked through laughs.

“I’ll be fine,” I managed.

Jerome walked over to help and with my free hand, I reached for his outstretched one.

“Thanks.”

“No problem,” he said with a smile. “Can you walk?”

“This isn’t my first time slipping on ice,” I matched his smile. “I can walk.”

“Good,” Alfie interrupted. “Because I wasn’t about to carry you.”

I rolled my eyes at Alfie before going to pick up my bag that had fallen off my shoulder. A glint of light caught my eye in the fresh snow, and I noticed an indentation in the snow mere inches from my bag.

Jerome leaned over before I could, and reached his hand into the snow. When he pulled it out, Anna’s necklace was dangling from his hand.

“Is that—” Alfie started.

“It must’ve fallen out of my bag,” I interrupted.

“It’s pretty,” Jerome noted plainly.

“Yeah it belongs to a friend of mine,” I explained. “I told her I’d keep it safe.”

Alfie raised his eyebrows at me and I was thankful Jerome couldn’t see his expression. I stuffed the necklace back into my bag quickly, confused as to how it even got there in the first place. I distinctly recalled putting it back in Sarah’s box after the funeral, and the box sat untouched on our bookshelf since. So how did the necklace end up with me?

“You okay Lizzie?” Alfie asked. “You seem kinda spaced out.”

“Oh, yeah, I’m good.” I nodded my head. “Just a little shaken.”

“At least your muffin’s safe,” Jerome pointed out. “That’s impressive.”

“Which, by the way, are amazing,” Alfie noted.

“Thank you,” I said with a laugh.

The three of us finished the rest of the walk together, both Alfie and Jerome asking for bites of my muffin as we did so. By the time we got to English, the rest of Sibuna was already there and having a chat. I said my goodbyes to Jerome and Alfie as I took my seat next to Patricia.

“Walking to school with slimeball now?” Patricia asked.

“They happened to be walking at the same time,” I defended. “Besides, the rest of you ditched me.”

“We thought you could use the sleep,” Nina shrugged.

“Well, the extra thirty minutes really did wonders.” I rolled my eyes.

“You’re just as grumpy as yesterday,” Patricia laughed. “Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?”

“I was rushing to school and I slipped on ice,” I huffed. “I landed straight on my ass and I definitely have a giant bruise.”

The group let out a collective laugh, but Nina’s face flattered when she spotted Jerome and Alfie standing at the front of the classroom. I followed her gaze and saw them in deep conversation, just as they were before I’d joined them on the walk to school, but Alfie looked nervous now. He broke away from Jerome and came over to us a moment later, but not without us noticing Jerome’s weird glances in our direction.

“What were you talking to Jerome about?” Nina asked Alfie once he was close enough.

“You know, the usual,” Alfie sighed. “Where to hang, what to scam, who to snarl at. I’m fed up with him, to be honest.”

Alfie ended with a shrug, but Nina still had an apprehensive look in her eyes. The bell rang before we could talk further, and the group dispersed to their separate seats.

“We’ll draw straws after class,” Fabian whispered.

“Draw straws for what?” I asked.

Patricia filled me in as Mrs. Andrews started droning on about  _ The Tempest _ and the power of forgiveness. At breakfast, they’d determined that the clue referred to the cellar. Instead of everyone going down to look, we were going to draw straws and whoever’s straw was shortest would be going down to the cellar. 

I frowned thinking about going back into the cellar, especially when Anna’s necklace was mysteriously appearing in my bag. My frown didn’t falter even when class ended, and we met in the lounge before our next class. 

“Before we start,” Patricia voiced. “I’ve got a surprise.”

She reached into her bag and pulled out two walkie talkies.

“This will be much better than the loud whispering we’ve been doing so far,” she explained.

Patricia and I shared a smile—I was excited to elevate our sneaking around game. In the meantime, Fabian had been preparing the straws and bundling them up. As Amber approached, he reached his fist of straws out for the rest of us.

“Everyone take a straw,” he directed.

“This matchmaking business is actually becoming kind of fun,” she said as everyone took a straw from Fabian’s hand. “You should let me put your love life in order, Patricia.”

“I’d rather chew on glass,” Patricia responded.

Amber made a disgusted face before taking the last straw. We held up our straws collectively, and I let out a sigh of relief when I noticed mine wasn’t the shortest. Alfie’s was, however, and the grimace on his face told me he wasn’t thrilled about going back to the cellar.

“Aw, poor Alfie,” Amber frowned.

I gave him a sympathetic smile as Patricia patted him on the back.

“Alfie it is,” Nina mumbled. “Perfect.”

I ignored my sister’s comment as the rest of Sibuna left for our next class but pulled Alfie to the side.

“You’ll be fine in the cellar,” I reassured him.

“What if I see that ghost chick again?”

“Anna? You won’t,” I hoped. “So far I’ve been the only one to consistently see her, and since I won’t be going down with you I don’t think she’ll make an appearance.”

“How do you know that for sure?”

“I don’t,” I admitted. “It’s just an educated guess.”

Alfie groaned.

“There’s something else I wanted to ask you about,” I paused, only continuing after Alfie’s encouraging glance. “I think Jerome knows something.”

Alfie’s eyebrows dipped.

“I accidentally let it slip that I’d seen a ghost,” I explained.

“Accidentally?”

“Okay it wasn’t very accidental,” I huffed. “But he brought it up again yesterday and started asking questions about the old oven door that we use to get to the cellar. He kept going on about how this house has secrets we don’t know about, and it really sounded like he knew something about the treasure.”

“I haven’t told him anything,” Alfie defended.

“I’ve only told him about Anna,” I shrugged, before gasping as I recalled the night I’d told him about her. “Ohmygod, he might know about Rufus.”

“What? How?”

“The other week I was researching Rufus’ obituary, and Jerome snuck up behind me and read my screen,” I breathed. 

“But he couldn’t know Rufus is alive, could he?”

“Let’s hope not, Rufus is dangerous.” I bit my lip. “We need to keep an eye on him.”

“Definitely,” Alfie said, but he seemed distracted.

“My sister’s already asking questions about him, we don’t need him getting involved in this.”

“Yeah, I totally agree.” He nodded.

I jumped as the bell rang, so distracted by our conversation that I’d forgotten we were even in school. We rushed to class, startling Mr. Winkler as we burst through the door and into our seats. Jerome squinted at us, a look that I tried to get out of my mind as the rest of the day passed but was unable to.

* * *

We decided tonight was the best option for a return to the cellar. Nina and Patricia overheard Victor telling Trudy that he’d be out late and to lock up, giving us the opportunity to sneak down to the cellar. 

Unfortunately, Jerome talked Alfie into a zombie movie marathon, and we didn’t end up hearing from his end of the walkie talkie until after midnight. Nina, Amber, and I had been taking shifts with our walkie talkie, giving us the opportunity to try and sleep in between. I was on shift when the static came through, sending a shudder of excitement through me. 

“A-Dog to L-Dog.” Alfie’s voice sounded after a beep. “Alfie to Lizzie, come in.”

I rolled my eyes at the codename Alfie had come up with but refrained from mentioning it in my reply.

“Lizzie to Alfie,” I started. “I’m reading you loud and clear A-Dog, over.”

“Rendezvous in five minutes, over,” he said.

“Got it, over.”

I yanked back the covers and ran to wake up my sleeping roommates. I sent a quick text to Patricia and Fabian, letting them know to meet us. Five minutes later, we reconvened in the kitchen with our pajamas still on.

“Alfie, what time do you call this?” Fabian whined.

“And what have you come as?” Patricia asked, looking over his camouflage clothing with war paint on his face. He looked ridiculous, but I admired his dedication.

“Take no notice, I think you look very nice Alfie,” Amber complimented.

“Ready for anything,” I added.

“You do know what you’re doing, right?” Nina said snarkily, folding her arms across her chest.

“Getting a sample of the elixir, and looking for a demisphere. Whatever that may be.”

“We’ll stay here and keep watch for Victor coming back,” Fabian explained. “And we’ll contact you by walkie talkie if you need to get out of there.”

“Where is your walkie talkie?” Patricia asked.

“In here.” He motioned to his backpack.

We wished him good luck, and Amber gave him a good luck kiss on the cheek before Nina opened the door for him. We left it open behind him but closed it just a tad to look inconspicuous, before heading upstairs to keep watch. 

We nestled on the landing, Amber resting her head on my lap and shutting her eyes immediately. Nina and Fabian were sitting together on the top two stairs, almost cuddling if this were any other circumstance, but they were both too tense for that. Patricia leaned on the railing across from me, and we played chopsticks to pass the time.

After a few minutes, a low rumble of gravel sounded from outside.

“What was that?” Patricia asked, forgetting our game.

“Victor’s car,” Nina realized.

“Lizzie to Alfie,” I called over the walkie talkie. “Victor’s back. I repeat, Victor’s back. Over.”

My heart rate quickened when we didn’t get a reply.

“A-Dog, come in,” I urged before turning to the rest of the group. “He’s not responding.”

Fabian motioned to give him the walkie talkie, and I tossed it to him over Patricia’s legs.

“Fabian to Alfie, come in,” Fabian tried.

“Okay, got that,” his voice sounded from the walkie talkie.

I exhaled, relieved that Alfie knew to hide. The front door opened shortly after he responded, and we watched from above as Victor shuffled through the entry to the cellar entrance under the stairs.

“Alfie, get out of there quick,” Nina said over the walkie talkie once Victor was out of earshot. “Victor’s coming down there.”

I hadn’t noticed her grab the walkie talkie from Fabian, but I was glad she did.

“A-Dog?” Nina asked desperately.

“Okay, thanks N-Dog,” he responded.

Nina sighed with relief. Fabian took his opportunity to get back to his room while Victor was in the cellar, but the rest of us stayed on the stairs. I tapped Amber’s head softly, giving her a chance to wake up before we inevitably had to run back to our rooms.

Nina handed the walkie talkie back to me, and I raised it to my mouth.

“Lizzie to Alfie, are you safe? Where are you?” I asked.

“Yeah, safe,” he whispered back. “In my room.”

“Good, we’ll talk in the morning, over.”

With the worry gone from my chest, the four of us headed back to our rooms. I sent Fabian a text letting him know that Alfie was safe, and I went to sleep quickly after that despite the copious amount of other issues on my mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks so much for reading!! Things are getting exciting as we near the ending of season 1 and break into season 2, we're only FIVE chapters away (!!!) lmk what you guys liked, disliked, or suggestions, I love hearing from you guys :)


	25. House of Lights / House of Allegiance

The next morning I managed to wake up when my alarm went off despite that it was a Saturday morning and that was unlike me. I managed to get myself out of bed and to the dining room before the end of breakfast, still in my pajamas, and nearly half asleep in a zombie-like state as I slumped into my chair. I’d gone to sleep quickly the night before but my nightmares were littered with flashes of Anna that left me more drained when I woke up than when I went to sleep. She wore in the green dress I always saw her in, and her face was smiling but there were bruises over her arms and a large gash in her head. The image of her blood dripping down her face was enough to make me regret my decision to come to breakfast.

I nibbled on one of Trudy’s danishes, making sure to avoid the raspberry jam in the middle, as the rest of Sibuna trickled into the dining room. Amber did most of the talking as we ate—something about her beauty sleep conflicting with our late nights. I’m sure if I’d listened to her sentiment I would’ve agreed, but I was too lost in my mind to respond. My head only picked up when I heard Alfie’s name in the conversation.

“Has anyone seen Alfie this morning?” My sister asked.

Fabian shrugged but then smiled when looked up to see who’d entered the room. “Ah, here he is.”

“Alfie, how are you?” Amber asked as Alfie dropped his bag near the legs of his regular seat beside Patricia.

“How did you do last night?” Patricia said through a mouthful of cereal.

“Did you find anything?” Fabian urged.

Alfie shrugged nonchalantly but pulled out a bottle of orange liquid from his pocket, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

“Aw, well done.” Patricia congratulated.

“Yeah, good job Alfie!” My sister said with surprise.

“We should hide it somewhere safe before Victor notices it’s gone,” I noted, finally snapping out of my absent-minded headspace. 

Fabian nodded at me and slipped the elixir into his pocket.

“What about the other thing?” He lowered his voice.

“The demisphere?” Alfie shrugged. “I looked everywhere but I couldn’t find anything that looked right.”

“Did you see Anna?” I asked quietly after Fabian and my sister only mustered a nod at Alfie’s response.

He shook his head and I was relieved to know that Alfie hadn’t been scared by her again. When the relief subsided, I couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit envious at the fact that she hadn’t visited him while he was in the basement. Why did I see her so frequently in the cellar, but Alfie only saw her once? Better yet, why was I seeing her at all when no one else did, save for Alfie’s one-time-sighting?

As I concluded that there weren’t any answers to the questions I was posing I returned to the conversation to hear Nina was muttering the clue to herself to find something we’d overlooked. Amber was watching Alfie as he leaned on the counter by the window with his back facing us. He wasn’t reaching for any pastries, which was odd considering how excited he’d been about the pastries the night before.

“You okay boo?” Amber asked him softly.

Alfie turned around sharply as if he’d been waiting for someone to ask, a frown etched into his expression. “Why did you all disappear and leave me last night?”

“We didn’t,” Patricia noted.

“We only went back to our rooms when we knew you were safely back in your room,” Nina explained.

“How did you know I was safely back in my room?”

“When you told us,” Amber jumped in.

“Over the walkie talkie?” Patricia added.

“We spoke for a while,” I recalled.

“The walkie talkie?” He squinted at us. “N-No, wait a minute.”

A realization crossed his face and with one swift motion, he grabbed a danish pastry off the counter and left the room leaving us with mutually confused expressions.

“That was weird,” Patricia said while returning to her food.

“He didn’t see Anna while he was down there,” Fabian muttered.

“I know.” I sighed. “That’s weird, right?”

“Definitely,” he responded.

“Do you think she’s, like, attached to you?” Amber guessed.

“What do you mean ‘attached’?” I turned to her. 

“Well, ghosts attach themselves to objects or places so why wouldn’t they be able to attach to people, too?”

“I think, if anything, she’s attached to the house,” my sister answered before I could.

“The newspaper did say her body was found here,” Fabian agreed. “Which means she most likely died here, too.”

“Can we stop talking about this?” I urged a wave of nausea and anxiety churned in my stomach. 

“Of course.” Nina squeezed my hand.

“I think we should officially initiate Alfie into Sibuna.” Amber switched the conversation swiftly.

“I never got initiated,” Patricia pointed out.

“We should do both of you,” Nina offered.

“We could do it this afternoon,” Fabian added. “There’s still snow on the ground but it’s not too cold out.”

“Sound good?” Nina eyed all of us.

Patricia, Amber, and I gave a collective nod, and that’s how we found ourselves several hours later with soaked shoes in the woods. The firepit was melting the snow around it, and the water seeped into my boots as we waited for Alfie and Patricia to arrive. Clouds littered the sky, casting a monochromatic light across the campus of Amun Boarding School.

Alfie and Patricia joined us right on time, and Amber was the one who spear-headed the ceremony. Nina, Fabian, and I were shivering around the fire pit, hands stuffed in our pockets, and watching Amber as she began.

“Did you guys bring what I told you to?” Amber placed a hand on her hip.

Alfie pulled out a jesters hat, complete with golden bells on the ends from his coat while Patricia pulled out a CD. I couldn’t tell who the band was, but I recognized the artwork from one of the posters in her room—they were equivalent to a punk version of the Spice Girls whose name I couldn’t recall.

“Great, now toss those into the fire and repeat after me—”

“Do I have to?” Alfie asked with a frown. “This is my favorite jester’s hat, without it I am nothing.”

“And this was the first concert I ever saw,” Patricia exclaimed. “This CD means a lot to me.”

“It has to be something special.” Amber’s other hand went to her hip. “A big sacrifice to represent your commitment to Sibuna.”

Alfie groaned and gave his jester’s hat one last squeeze before tossing it in the fire begrudgingly. Patricia scrunched her nose, but followed Alfie’s lead and threw in the CD before crossing her arms over her chest.

“Now repeat after me.” Amber held her right hand up in the air. “I, Alfie Marmaduke Lewis…”

“I,  _ Alfie Lewis _ …”

I allowed myself a small chuckle as Alfie skipped over Amber’s fake middle name.

“Promise to protect the treasure of Anubis House and all its secrets,” Amber continued.

“Promise to protect the treasure of Anubis House and—” Alfie paused.

“And all its secrets.” Amber gave him a pointed look.

“And all its secrets,” he finished quieter than he started.

Patricia went after him, though her initiation was much quicker in comparison. We finished by holding our hand over our right eye and saying “Sibuna” in unison. Alfie smiled, probably glad to finally know what the hand movement meant, and I matched his expression. 

“What did you say?” Nina turned to me with her brows dipped.

“Nothing?” I said, confused.

“Did you hear something?” Fabian asked. “Maybe someone followed us.”

“It’s probably nothing.” My sister shrugged. “We should get back to the house before Victor starts asking questions.”

Fabian and Nina stayed behind to put out the fire, and I pulled Alfie aside as we walked back to the house.

“Did you talk to Jerome?” I whispered.

“Oh, yeah, he doesn’t know anything,” Alfie answered quickly with a tight voice.

“You’re sure?” I asked, not entirely believing him.

“Yeah totally,” Alfie nodded eagerly.

I opened my mouth to respond but by the time I came up with a reply, Amber had looped her arm around mine.

“What would you guys think of an end of term prom?” She asked.

“Sounds miserable,” Patricia muttered from her other side.

“I think it would be fun,” Alfie considered.

“Lizzie?” She turned to me.

“Oh, well, I’d go if there was one,” I offered.

“Yay!” Amber squealed and clapped her hands. “Ooh, we can go dress shopping together.”

“Oh God,” Patricia breathed.

* * *

Dinner that evening was filled with conversation, mostly surrounding Mick and Mara. After returning from initiating Patricia and Alfie, we stumbled upon Mick attempting a cheerleading routine to impress Mara and win her back. Mick had gotten upset when we’d interrupted and stormed out, leaving a puzzled Mara in his wake. Patricia wasn’t letting this one go and used cloth napkins as her makeshift pom-poms in her impression of him.

“Very funny,” he grumbled, standing with his plate. “Amber, we’re on kitchen duty.”

“Be there in a sec,” Amber replied in a high voice.

Jerome, who’d been sitting across from me at the table, shoveled the last of his mashed potatoes in his mouth before standing abruptly. I squinted as he handed his plate to Trudy, not bothering to put his dishes away himself. Alfie was having similar questions about his motives because his tone was equally surprised when he spoke.

“Where are you going?”

“Places to go, people to see.” He handed Trudy his glass before shuffling out of the room with a half-hearted thank you.

“What was that about?” I whispered to Alfie.

He shrugged at me. “I don’t know, but I don’t have a good feeling about it.”

I picked up on the sincerity in his voice, and part of me was relieved to know that though Alfie had withheld something from me earlier, he didn’t know the whole story either. On second thought, the idea wasn’t exactly comforting, knowing that Jerome could so easily lie to his closest friend.

“He’s probably going to sell his homework to the younger years,” Patricia voiced.

“Yeah,” Alfie muttered, his voice fading as he followed Jerome’s lead and stood from the table. He gave Trudy his plate with a rushed thanks before exiting into the hallway.

“Do you think they’re up to something?” Patricia whispered to me. “They’re always up to something.”

“It’s probably just a prank,” I suggested, but even I wouldn’t have believed the tone of my voice.

“Hmmm,” Patricia hummed, eyes dancing across my face. I looked away, growing uncomfortable under her gaze. “Why are you so concerned?”

“Uh, worried about Alfie,” I lied. “Don’t want him getting wrapped up in Jerome’s shenanigans.”

Patricia scoffed, “He already is.”

“I’m gonna go check, just in case.” I ignored Patricia’s quizzical gaze and dropped my plate next to Mick at the sink before heading into the hallway. 

I figured the best place to check would be their bedroom, but when I knocked on the door I got no response. I tried again, and I thought I heard a rustling behind the door. I sighed, gripping the doorknob and throwing it open, but the room was empty.

The room was as disheveled as I’d imagined, and on top of Alfie’s beg as a small notebook with a familiar drawing. Annoyance bubbled in my chest as I flipped through the pages and found sketches of all the pieces we’d collected. Why was he drawing them? And leaving them out for Jerome to see? Unless Jerome already knew about them, I realized. 

The door opened behind me and I whipped around, notebook in hand, to see a startled Jerome and scared Alfie.

“What’s going on?” I directed the question at Alfie, who stood with his mouth open and eyes wide.

“I was, uh, drawing them for fun,” Alfie’s tone was the same as it had been in the forest.

“Yeah, he said it was something from a textbook,” Jerome offered.

I rolled my eyes at them. “I’m not stupid, what have you told him?” I pointed at Jerome.

“Nothing,” Alfie defended. “He figured it out on his own.”

I turned to Jerome, eyebrows high. “And how’d that happen?”

“It doesn’t matter,” he deflected. “But I need those drawings.”

He reached forward but I pulled my hand away at the last minute, protective over the drawings and what they meant.

“Why do you need them?” I countered.

“My friend is asking for them.” He reached again and this time I wasn’t able to pull them away in time. “These are good, Alfie, they’ll keep Rufus happy for a little while.”

“Rufus?” Alfie and I asked in unison.

“You’re working with Rufus Zeno?” I couldn’t help the glare I gave him.

“He’s a total nutjob!” Alfie’s voice rose. “He kidnapped Patricia.”

“Yeah right,” he scoffed. “I think we’d have noticed if he’d kidnapped Patricia. At the very least it would’ve been quieter around here.”

“You have no idea who you’re dealing with,” I furthered. “He’s a psycho.”

“I know he faked his death,” Jerome’s gaze was hard. “I saw the obituary on your computer, remember?”

Frustration at myself fluttered to the surface, and I crossed my arms over my chest to refrain from yelling.

“Besides, he can’t be that dangerous,” Jerome continued. “He hasn’t threatened me.”

“That doesn’t mean he won’t,” I huffed at him before turning to Alfie. “I’ve always gotten a bad feeling around him. Especially considering his history with Victor.”

“Wait?” Alfie asked. “Were they friends?”

I nodded, hoping Alfie would put the pieces together silently and not let Jerome catch on to what we were talking about.

“He must’ve done something terrible to get Victor on his bad side.” Alfie gasped. “Like drunk th—”

“That’s a good theory,” I stopped Alfie from talking about the elixir in front of Jerome.

“Drank what?” Jerome picked up on it anyway. “The elixir?”

I paused, my eyes shifting to Jerome’s nonchalant expression.

“I may have let that one slip,” Alfie said with a grimace. “My bad.”

I sighed as my hand went to my forehead to aid the budding headache this conversation was giving me. 

“Best friends shouldn’t keep secrets from each other,” Jerome shrugged.

“Don’t do that.” I rolled my eyes at him. 

“Do what?” 

“Manipulate him,” I snapped. “This isn’t some lighthearted gossip, these are serious, life-threatening secrets so instead of feeling butthurt you’re not included you should be grateful you’re not at stake.”

Jerome looked at the ground dismissively but didn’t refute my sentiments.

“Well, until you got involved with Rufus,” Alfie grumbled.

The mention of Rufus seemed to wake both Jerome and me up, and next, he was tearing the sketches from the notebook. Alfie jumped in before I could, and snatched them out of his grasp.

“Give those back,” Jerome urged. 

“I can’t let you do this,” Alfie said, backing away toward the door.

“Hand ‘em over Alfie,” Jerome followed his lead.

Within a moment, Alfie was out the door and flying through the hallway. I followed behind Jerome as they raced toward the kitchen, but slammed into his back as we went through the doorway. They’d stopped for some reason—I couldn’t see because Jerome was blocking my view. I pushed him aside gently to see Victor, staring at the papers in Alfie’s hands.

My stomach dropped. Any element of surprise we’d had was now out the window. If Victor knew we had the pieces, or at least what they looked like, he’d orchestrate something to get them from us. I paid no notice to Mara and Mick, who’d been washing dishes, as they giggled to themselves. 

Victor tore the papers from Alfie’s hand and stormed away without any words. Alfie turned to us slowly, regret showing in his eyes. Jerome groaned, his knuckles white with anger as he realized he had nothing to give Rufus.

“That’s not your fault,” I whispered to Alfie.

“Not his fault? He practically handed them to Victor,” Jerome ridiculed.

“Trying to keep them away from  _ you _ ,” I reminded him. 

Jerome blinked, his nostrils flaring as he didn’t muster a response. I turned back to Alfie, but as I opened my mouth to say anything I got a text on my phone. It was from Nina, telling me to come upstairs with the rest of Sibuna to look at the clue. 

“I have to go, we’ll finish this later.”

I made it to the hallway before Alfie grabbed my arm and turned me around, worry etched into this expression through his dipped eyebrows.

“Are you gonna tell them?”

“I have to,” I said. “I can’t let them be in the dark about this.”

“No, you can’t,” Alfie begged. “They just started to trust me.”

“And they won’t trust either of us if we keep this from them,” I pointed out.

“Alfie’s right,” Jerome, who’d just joined us from the kitchen with a sour expression, voiced. “They can’t know we had any involvement.”

“For someone who’s so against secrecy, you asking me to keep this a secret is pretty rich,” I couldn’t help the sneer in my voice. “And from my twin sister no less.”

“Just hold out until we come up with a better plan,” Alfie urged. 

I looked between them and noted the fear in both of their eyes. I sighed, hating the fact that I had a soft spot for the two pranksters.

“When are you meeting with him?” I asked.

“Monday.”

“You have until then,” I said, relief crossing their faces. “If Rufus doesn’t back off after that then I tell them, agreed?”

Alfie nodded enthusiastically, but Jerome took more convincing. I raised my eyebrows at him, and we held our matched gaze for what seemed like an eternity before he finally softened and gave a small nod.

“Good.” I sighed before turning away from them.

* * *

“There you are,” my sister said as I joined everyone in our room. “Where were you?”

“With dumb and dumber?” Patricia gave me a knowing glance.

“Yeah, they were trying to pull a prank on you, Fabian, but I caught them in the act,” I lied as I sat down next to Patricia.

Fabian frowned but gave me a grateful smile nonetheless.

“What’d I miss?” I asked, trying to distract the conversation.

It worked, and Patricia read the clue aloud to get everyone on the same page.

“‘Inside my enemy’s pride is where the final relic hides.’”

“Ooh, the final relic,” Nina said with excitement. “I can’t believe we’re so close.”

We won’t be after Victor examines the drawings, I noted to myself but I bit back the urge to voice it to the group. 

“Cool,” Amber breathed in a low voice.

“You sound just like Corbierre,” Patricia laughed, followed by an imitation of a crow’s call.

I managed to crack a smile, knowing that if I didn’t the group would know something was up.

“That’s it,” Nina whispered. “Patricia, Amber, you guys are genius!”

“I know,” Amber smiled before confusion pinched between her brows. “Why?”

“Corbierre is the pride and joy,” Fabian put together.

“Nice deduction, you guys are so good together.” Amber looked between my sister and Fabian. “Like Scooby and Shaggy.”

I scoffed at her comparison, seeing as there was no romantic tension between Scooby and Shaggy.

“I think Daphne and Fred would be a better comparison,” I corrected.

“Oh you’re totally right,” Amber gasped. “Because Nina’s just li—”

“Thanks, guys,” my sister interrupted, a blush developing on her cheeks.

“No problem Neens,” I smiled.

She rolled her eyes at me and looked at the ground as Patricia steered the conversation back to the clue.

“So the final clue is in Corbierre?”

“That would be my guess,” I confirmed. 

“We should check it out,” Fabian nodded.

“I’ll go with you,” Nina said.

“I’ll come too,” Amber smiled.

“I think only two of us should go,” I suggested, trying to stir up some alone time for Nina and Fabian. “That way it’s less of a chance of getting caught.”

“That sounds like a great idea,” Patricia caught on.

“Oh,” Amber realized. “Totally.”

Nina and Fabian left to examine Corbierre, and the moment the door closed Patricia turned to me.

“So what were you  _ really _ doing with dumb and dumber?”

“I was actually helping them prank Mick,” I responded, hoping it would be good enough.

“Oh?” Amber asked.

“Since when did you become the three musketeers?” Patricia squinted at me.

“When I walked in on them, I guess.” I shrugged.

“Interesting,” Patricia hummed.

My gut twisted. Now, not only did I have to hide the fact that Jerome was working with Rufus, but I had to come up with a prank to pull on Mick. Not to mention the fact that Victor knew we had the pieces and although we were at the end of the clues this mystery was still nowhere near solved. I was beginning to miss the simpler times in the term when Patricia pouring water on us was our only worry, and I didn’t have to lie to my sister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry it's been so long, I wanted to finalize the ending before posting this! Now that I have the ending down and ready to go updates will be more frequent! Let me know what you guys liked, or didn't like, about this chapter!! Thanks so much for reading, I've missed posting and it feels good to be back <3


	26. House of Pests / House of Allegiance

I spent the rest of the weekend with Jerome and Alfie making a plan for Rufus and pranking Mick to keep up with appearances. After much debate, we decided on putting a red sock in his laundry to turn his clothes a bright shade of pink, reminiscent of Mara’s trick on him from earlier in the term. We added some pink glitter to his shampoo to match. That was the easiest part of the weekend and coming up with something to do for Rufus was a different story.

“Why can’t you just take some of the elixir?” Jerome had asked. “Fabian wouldn’t even notice.”

“First of all, Fabian  _ would _ notice, and so would my sister. On top of that, I don’t want the elixir falling into the wrong hands, and that means Rufus.”

“Then what do you suggest, Lizzie?” He paced around their bedroom. 

The use of my nickname threw me since he normally addressed me by my full name, and I sat on his bed with my mouth hung open slightly. Jerome caught it too, but only briefly paused to blink at me before returning to his stress-induced pacing.

“I could do the drawings again,” Alfie offered, breaking the tension.

“That’s not a bad idea Alfie,” Jerome nodded, lightly at first before becoming more confident. “Get sketching.”

“We just have to make sure they stay with us this time,” I noted. “Victor still hasn’t made a move since he found out we had the pieces.”

“Maybe he forgot?” Alfie shrugged as he reached for his pencil.

“Not likely,” I grimaced as my stomach dropped at the thought of Victor having all the pieces. “I feel awful we haven’t told the rest of them.”

“You can’t,” Jerome urged. “At least not until we have the Rufus situation under control.”

“We better get it under control quick.”

“We will, Alfie’s drawings will hold him off for a while.”

“And then what?” The anxiety in my tone surfaced, and for a brief moment, I saw a flicker of guilt in Jerome’s eyes.

“Then we’ll think of something new.” His tone was soft but determined.

I nodded solemnly in agreement, trying to be okay with the fact that we didn’t know how Rufus would react or what he would demand next but I couldn’t shake away the nerves as our weekend came to a close. I didn’t sleep well Sunday night and woke up to a curious Nina standing over me with squinted eyes.

“You slept through your alarm again,” she poked my shoulder. “That’s three times in the past week.”

“I keep having nightmares,” I told her, sitting up in my bed. It wasn’t entirely a lie, considering Anna’s face still frequented my dreams.

“About Anna?” 

“Yeah, it’s so strange,” I mumbled. “Why can’t she just leave me alone?”

“There’s probably a good reason she isn’t,” Nina considered.

“Like?”

Nina chewed her lip before taking a seat on my bed and sighing. “I’ve been hearing voices.”

“What? And you didn’t tell me?” Suddenly I was more comforted about my keeping secrets from her regarding Victor’s knowledge of the pieces.

“You didn’t tell me about Anna when it first happened.”

“Yeah because I sounded crazy!”

“And I don’t?”

“Fair point,” I sighed. “What kinds of voices?”

“I first heard it in the fire when we initiated Patricia and Alfie,” she explained. “They told me to ‘unleash the power and light the way.’”

“That’s creepy,” I muttered.

“Tell me about it.” She nodded. “And then I heard them again when I was looking for the demi-sphere, they guided me to it. It was clearer that time, it almost sounded like Sarah on the recordings.”

“Great, so I’m  _ seeing  _ dead people and you’re  _ hearing  _ them. We’re a pair, aren’t we?”

Nina managed a smile, but it faltered after she considered something. “Fabian said something to me the other day that really freaked me out.”

“Fabian?” I clarified, and she nodded. “Was this before or after you unscrewed Corbierre’s head and found the last piece?”

“After. Fabian said… that maybe they got it wrong when they assumed Joy was the chosen one.”

My stomach dropped. “He thinks it’s us? How would that even work?”

“I’m not sure, but the more I think about it the more it makes sense. And the more I want to ignore it.”

“We don’t know anything for sure,” I reminded her. “We might be related differently.”

“Do you believe that?”

I paused, mulling over her connection to Sarah and mine to Anna. “No.”

“Neither do I.” Her face contorted, and she grasped at her torso. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”

I watched as she stood abruptly and barged through the door. After a moment of processing, I followed her lead, only to meet the sound of Amber’s screams. By the time I got to the bathroom, Nina was screaming too, pointing at a small rodent in the corner.

“Is that a mouse?” I said, disgusted.

“It is,” Nina choked out. Her hand went to her mouth and within seconds she was bent over the toilet throwing up. I warily went to her side, watching out for the mouse as I pulled her hair into a ponytail. Amber’s squeals were coupled with tears as she yanked her robe closer to her body and ran out of the bathroom. 

“Grossgrossgross.” I heard her mumble frantically in the hallway.

I nearly followed her lead as the mouse came around from behind the bathtub and crept toward us, but the sound of my shriek was enough for it to back away. Once Nina was okay, we bolted out of the room as quickly as possible, shutting it promptly behind us.

* * *

“Before we start, as you know we have a problem with mice in Anubis House,” Mrs. Andrews directed as the bell rang. “We will be providing temporary accommodation for Anubis residents here in the main school building.”

Fabian’s hand went in the air as she finished her sentence, and I spied a hint of disdain in Mrs. Andrews’s eyes as she nodded for him to speak.

“Mrs. Andrews, do you not think it’s strange that all the mice are white? How did we suddenly get an infestation of pet mice?”

I hadn’t taken into account the color of the mouse, more concerned by its mere presence than what it looked like. As Fabian’s inquiry weighed on my mind I knew it had something to do with Victor trying to get the pieces. I bit my lip, trying to think of how we could get them without being suspicious but coming up blank.

“Well, I’ll be asking pest control about that.”

“And can we go back after class?” My sister asked, thinking of the same scenario as I was. “You know, to get our stuff.”

“No, I’m sorry,” Mrs. Andrews said without hesitation. “I want you all to remain here, Trudy will bring your overnight things. And as a special treat, she’s going to provide for you a takeaway meal for this evening.”

Cheers of excitement came from Mick, and probably Alfie though I didn’t see him specifically, as the notion of take-out food was brought up. Mara smiled to herself from beside me, no doubt picking up on Mick’s enthusiasm. I was glad she was happy, she deserved to be after dedicating so much time to other people. But when I thought of her and Mick I couldn’t help but be reminded of Jerome’s interest in her as well, and I knew deep down I would be his second-choice to Mara.

I shook the thoughts from my head, remembering the mouse in the bathroom as Mrs. Andrews’ laugh forced me to return to the present.

“Treat this all as a big adventure.” She smiled before getting serious. “Now, you all know the rules about food in dormitories so we’ll be searching through your room for snacks and confiscating any unauthorized items.”

That was the nail in our coffin. There was no way the pieces would go unnoticed in the search, especially with the drawings as a guide to their appearance. Regret pooled in my gut, knowing I should’ve acted quicker to hide the pieces or tell my sister. I could’ve prevented this, but I’d been more afraid of what Nina would say if she knew Jerome was working with Rufus than the consequences of it. 

I took a small breath, trying to calm myself down. Nina always had a plan, and on the off chance she didn’t, Fabian would come up with something. My leg was bouncing involuntarily, and I only noticed when Mara turned to me with worry.

“Are you okay?” She whispered. “You seem nervous.”

“Just end of term exams,” I said. I chose to ignore how quickly the lie slipped out of my mouth.

She hummed to herself, waiting until Mrs. Andrews wasn’t looking to continue.

“Patricia told me you’ve spent a lot of time with Jerome and Alfie this week.”

“Yeah, we’re friends.” I shrugged. “Sorry, we pranked your boyfriend.”

Mara cracked a smile. “I knew telling you about that red sock would come back to haunt me.”

“You never know when information comes in handy, Mara,” I said with a giggle.

Mrs. Andrews raised her eyebrows at us, and we took that as the end of our conversation. I’d forgotten how nice it was to talk to someone who wasn’t involved in the Sibuna madness--it was like a breath of fresh air. 

That breath didn’t last for long, however, as the moment the bell rang Nina pulled me away from Mara and Sibuna reconvened near our lockers. I caught a glimpse of Mara’s disheartened expression but didn’t think much of it as Nina’s fear radiated off her in waves.

“We have to get the pieces back,” she insisted.

“Aren’t they behind the panel in the attic?” Patricia asked, folding her arms over her chest.

“Most of them,” Fabian corrected. “The other two are with us.”

“The panel’s not gonna stop him,” Nina sighed. “He’s gonna tear the place apart.”

“What if we go now and skip class?” I offered.

“They’ll know we’re up to something.” Fabian shook his head. “Mrs. Andrews already told us we can’t go back so it would be suspicious if we suddenly didn’t show up to class.”

“The teachers must know something,” Nina muttered.

A swell of guilt rose from my stomach to my chest, but I fought to keep my expression neutral. I promised Jerome and Alfie that I wouldn’t say anything until after he met with Rufus, which was today after school. Victor had gotten to us quicker than I expected.

“Maybe Corbierre told him,” Amber said.

“Or he’s caught onto us,” Patricia noted. “It was going to happen eventually.”

“I just hoped it would have lasted longer.” My sister eyed the ground as she spoke, and Fabian comforted her by rubbing her back.

“We’ll think of something,” he reassured her. “Let’s all brainstorm and then meet again after classes are over.”

We nodded collectively before making our way to the lounge for drama, but Nina squinted at me as we walked together. I’d been quiet during our meeting, afraid that if I opened my mouth I wouldn’t be able to refrain telling them about what happened with Victor. 

By the time classes were over I still hadn’t come up with any sort of plan. Anytime I got close to thinking of an idea I remembered that Jerome was supposed to meet with Rufus today, and that would only worsen our situation. Sibuna was caught between two evils and both of them were closing in on us with record speed. 

When Trudy arrived with our overnight things I was glad to change out of my school uniform and into more comfortable clothes. As I returned to the lounge I noticed Nina and Fabian had their heads together, whispering animatedly. I couldn’t find the other members of Sibuna but joined them nonetheless.

“He knows that the pieces are in there somewhere.” I overheard as I approached them. “And he’s not gonna stop until he finds them.”

“Victor?” I guessed.

Fabian nodded at me with a grim expression before returning to Nina.

“With Trudy here now he’s not gonna hold back, this is a disaster.”

“We could go over there before it gets worse,” Fabian offered.

“Under what cover?” I asked.

“We’ll think of something on the way.” Nina nodded with a shaky breath. “That seems to work out for us most of the time.”

As Nina finished her sentence Trudy appeared between us, her pleasant smile etched on her face.

“Have you got everyone’s food orders?” She asked.

“Um, yeah.” Nina handed her notebook to Trudy. “But from the looks of Alfie and Mick’s orders, they think we’re gonna be stuck here for a year.”

“Right.” Trudy laughed. “I’ll ring it up in a minute.”

We chorused a ‘Thank you’ as Trudy stepped aside, her eyes squinting at something across the room. “Alfie? What on earth are you doing?”

My back had been turned to him, but I saw what Trudy was referring to as my eyes landed on Alfie’s figure caught in his pop-up bed. His arms were bent at two precarious angles, struck between the beams of the bed as he yelped and tried to get free. Jerome stood behind him, laughing heartily as Alfie continued to struggle.

“Let’s go while they’re distracted,” Nina whispered.

Fabian followed her lead and they left swiftly through the curtain, unnoticed by Trudy as she went to untangle Alfie. I almost followed her, wanting to make sure Alfie was okay and talk to Jerome, but I knew I had to wait until we secured the pieces. Still, my eyes lingered on Jerome as he continued to chuckle at Alfie’s expense, and even though Alfie was hurt it was nice to see Jerome smiling. He’d been rigid since he started working with Rufus, understandably so, and our prank on Mick hadn’t exactly brightened his spirits.

“He always seems to get himself into trouble,” Mara said. She’d come up beside me when I wasn’t paying attention.

“Has he always been like this?” I chuckled.

“As far back as I can remember.” Mara nodded. “And Jerome’s been at his side every time.”

“Just as unhelpful, I’m guessing?”

“Some things never change.” Mara eyed me before continuing. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Have you ever been in love?”

“Oh, um, yeah,” I considered. “I’d say I’ve been in love.”

“What was it like?” She paused. “If you don’t mind answering.”

I shook my head lightly. “I don’t mind.” I paused. “For me, it was something that ate me up from the inside out.”

“That’s, um, romantic?”

“It wasn’t,” I acknowledged. “It was destructive.”

Mara grimaced, clutching her sleeping bag tighter to her chest.

“That’s not how it always is,” I said, afraid that I’d scared her. “He and I weren’t meant to be together, in any capacity, and that’s okay.”

“How did you know that you weren’t right for each other?”

“Well, Nina was the first one to catch it,” I smiled. “But, of course, I didn’t listen to her. It took me a long time to realize that being around him made me feel terrible—like I was only half a person. That’s not what love should do.”

“Did he love you?”

“No,” I said quietly. “Not at all.”

“I’m sorry.” She placed a comforting hand on my arm.

“I’m not, he made me realize that I deserved better.”

“That’s a good way of looking at it.” Mara smiled.

“I think so, too.” I shared her expression. “Why do you ask?”

Her eyes drifted to Mick, who was sitting on the edge of his bed trying to get a hold of the zipper of his sleeping bag.

“Ah, I see,” I nudged her.

She flushed before trying to compose herself. “I like him a lot, more than I’ve liked any other guy before.”

“You seem happy,” I noted.

“I am.” She nodded. “It’s such a weird feeling. In a good way.”

I smiled at her, but an envious ache sprouted in my chest. I was happy for Mara, I genuinely was, but seeing other people in love reminded me of the only thing I missed from my relationship with Cameron: never feeling alone. 

“Don’t let me keep you here, go help him with that zipper.” I gestured to Mick, still pulling at his stuck zipper. Mara giggled and the glint of adoration shining in her eyes made the ache in my chest echo. My gaze followed her as she sat down beside Mick, placing her sleeping bag on the ground before taking his in her hands. Within moments they were laughing, as Mara was able to get the zipper loose in only a few seconds. 

I spent a few minutes setting up my bed next to Amber’s, trying to distract myself from the mixture of emotions that were swirling in my brain. If I wasn’t keeping myself busy I was thinking of Jerome, itching to talk to him about Rufus. When I was occupied, the weight of guilt settled in my chest as I waited for Nina to return. Thankfully, this only lasted about ten minutes before Nina and Fabian came back, determination in their eyes.

“Did you get the pieces?” I asked them immediately.

“We got caught up by Mr. Sweet,” Fabian explained.

“But I have a new plan.” Nina held up the key to Mr. Sweet’s office, a grin spreading on her face.

In simple terms, she planned to lock Mr. Sweet and Trudy inside his office and then go to Anubis House. Mr. Sweet would have to call Victor, as he’s the caretaker and has a master set of keys. Nina and Fabian would wait outside for Victor to leave, and then run in as quickly as possible to get the pieces from behind the panel before Victor returned. It was a brilliant plan, and certainly better than anything I could think of.

“If you have time, get the box from Sarah,” I reminded my sister. “Even though we’re not hiding it we still don’t want Victor to take any of it.”

“Good idea,” she nodded. “Do you still have the picture of Anna hidden in the book?”

“Yes, and that I actually did steal from Victor’s safe,” I remembered. 

“We’ll get it, don’t worry.”

“We don’t know if we’ll have enough time,” Fabian noted. 

“We have to make it work,” Nina refuted. “We’ll split up.”

“Good luck, guys,” Patricia waved as they ran to get Trudy.

Once they were off on their mission to retrieve the pieces, I was able to relax more than before. If the plan went accordingly we’d have the pieces safe and sound with us, and if it didn’t then the pieces would end up with Victor. But it was better than not doing anything, which would practically give the pieces to Victor. 

Patricia left to find Mara, something about a question for the school representative, and I started to busy myself by working on some homework. I was working uninterrupted for only a minute or two before the seat on the couch next to me sank. I looked up and met Jerome’s curious expression.

“Where did Nina and Fabian go?” He asked with a nod in their direction. His voice was quiet despite the fact there was no one near us to overhear our conversation.

“They’re going to get the pieces,” I told him honestly.

“Now? They think that’s a good idea?”

“If I’d told them Victor knew we had them we could’ve hidden them earlier,” I reminded him. “But you asked me to wait, so I did, and now we’re here.”

“Right.”

“How did your meeting with Rufus go?” I couldn’t help myself from asking.

“Not great.” He sighed. “He said he’d mummify me if I didn’t get him something concrete.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t an—”

“He made it very clear that it wasn’t an expression.” Jerome gulped. “I’m screwed.”

“So the drawings didn’t matter?”

“Not at all, he wants those or the elixir. But I don’t think he’ll stop there.”

“He’s just gonna keep asking for more,” I realized. 

“Exactly.” Jerome’s gaze met mine, filled with familiar anxiety.

“What about my necklace?” I asked.

“The one with the wings?” He clarified. “That’s not what he’s looking for.”

“It’s not one of the pieces, you’re right, but we can tell him it’s important,” I offered. “He might not know the difference. And that necklace came from Anna, which he’d recognize.”

“He seems to know more about this than anyone,” Jerome acknowledged. “Do you think we could trick him into thinking there’s a part he’s missing?”

“Do you have any better ideas?” 

Jerome was quiet before he tilted his head to the side. “We could recreate the pieces and make fakes.”

“How much time do we have?”

“Not much, so that probably wouldn’t work.”

I dug in my backpack, fingers grasping for the cool chain of Anna’s necklace and delicately taking it out.

“Take this anyways, even if it’s just as a precaution.” I placed the charm in his hand and my heart jumped as my fingertips grazed his palm. I pulled my hand back quickly, trying to cover my reaction.

“Thanks,” Jerome said as he cleared his throat. “Hopefully I won’t be mummified.”

“That wouldn’t be good,” I agreed. We shared a smile, lightening the mood. A comfortable silence drifted over us, and I realized that I was calm for the first time that day. I wasn’t stressed out about the pieces, or Rufus, I was relaxed. 

That only lasted for a few seconds, however, because Amber came bounding into the room with a green face mask in her hands.

“Who’s ready for clear skin?” She glanced between us.

“Never been more ready,” Jerome responded, the corner of his lip tugging upwards.

And that was how we found ourselves with our faces slathered in green gunk. Amber was putting it on Alfie’s face, who was living out his dream of talking to aliens, while Mara and I were trying to convince Mick into joining us when Trudy walked through the curtains. Patricia was outside, covering for Nina and Fabian if anything were to come up.

“What are you all up to?” She asked sweetly.

“Would you like some face mask, Trudy?” Amber asked. “It’s a lime souffle that helps prevent wrinkles and worry lines.”

Before Trudy responded, Amber sat her down on one of the couches. Trudy didn’t protest as Amber applied the mask and as she finished Trudy was giggling along with the rest of us. 

“Stop it,” Mick tried to swat Mara’s hand away. “You’re not putting that green gunk on my face, I’ll look like the Incredible Hulk.”

“See I was gonna say Shrek,” Alfie added.

Another spurt of laughter radiated through the group, but it was quickly cut short. Victor and Mr. Sweet came inside as our laughter got louder, and mine subsided as I took in his angry expression. Patricia was behind him with a visible frown.

“What’s going on here?” He demanded. “Where are the others?”

Victor’s eyes landed on me and he pointed a forceful finger in my direction.

“You, where are Nina and Fabian?” His eyes bore into mine.

“I’m not sure,” I lied. “They might be getting the delivery food.”

“They’ve gone back to the house, haven’t they? We’ve been tricked.” Victor ignored my excuse and stormed out of the room, Mr. Sweet following closely. Patricia and I shared a worried glance, hoping that they’d be back soon, and with the delivery food. 

I joined Patricia at the curtain, watching as Nina and Fabian ran into Victor and Mr. Sweet. I sighed with relief at the four pizzas in their hands, along with six boxes of Chinese food, my stomach rumbling at the sight. 

“Thank God,” I said to Patricia.

“I know, I’m starving,” she joked.

I refrained from letting out a giddy squeal as Nina and Fabian came through the curtain. Mick and Alfie, however, did not refrain from their excitement at the sight of food and cheered.

“Well, this meat lover’s pizza isn't gonna eat itself.” Alfie stood, taking two of the pizzas and handing one to Jerome before stuffing a piece down his mouth. 

When all the food was divided Fabian looked to Patricia and me.

“Mission accomplished,” he explained.

“But Victor’s got some of our stuff,” Nina added.

“Not the puzzle pieces?” Patricia asked.

“No, the puzzle pieces are under my bed and the cylinders are under Fabian’s bed. Victor’s already searched our rooms so he won’t go in there again.”

“Nina.” Fabian squinted at my sister. “I didn’t put the cylinders under my bed.”

“You didn’t?”

“The box under my bed is Sarah’s box, I thought you had the cylinders in your bag.”

“No,” Nina gasped.

“Great.” Fabian sighed. “I think they’re still behind the panel.”

“He’s gonna find them.” Nina shook her head before turning to me. “He got to your picture before we could, I’m sorry Lizzie.”

“It’s okay, I know you tried.” I squeezed her hand to comfort her. “And, he won’t find the pieces even if he listens to the recordings because we still have them,” I reminded her. “But it won’t help him being suspicious of us.”

“I think we’re beyond being inconspicuous at this point,” Fabian noted.

“He’s gonna figure everything out,” Nina continued. “And he’ll know we have the pieces and he won’t stop until he gets them in time.”

“So we keep hiding them,” Fabian refuted her panic. “We pulled it off today and we’ll do it again as many times as we need to.”

“I just wish this was simpler.”

I grabbed my sister’s hand reassuringly, and she gave me a grateful smile that morphed into one of confusion as she eyed my face.

“Is that one of Amber’s face masks?”

“Lime souffle,” I informed her.

“It looks gross.”

“Well, when your skin is wrinkled tomorrow and mine isn’t we’ll know why,” I said jokingly.

Patricia rolled her eyes. “Let’s eat, I’m starving.”

She had the right idea, and we eagerly joined the rest of the Anubis residents for a fun night, now comforted by the fact that the pieces were safe and so were we.

4354

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!! This story is so fun to write as it's coming to a close and we're learning a lot more about Lizzie. I hope you enjoyed it, let me know what your favorite part was or anything else you wanna say!! Next chapter coming either Monday or Tuesday, only three chapters left!! Hope everyone is staying safe <333


	27. House of Reservation / House of Heavy

Wednesday morning, two days after the mice incident, Nina and Fabian insisted on a quick Sibuna meeting before classes. Before breakfast, which also meant before coffee, the members of Sibuna sat in a circle on the floor of our room, dodging the mess. Victor had practically destroyed our rooms while looking for the pieces, and we were still cleaning up from it. Mara was going to talk to Mr. Sweet this morning and request compensation for the damage. 

Sarah’s box had been protected from Victor’s wrath, but Nina and Fabian didn’t get to the house in time to save the picture of Anna I’d been keeping in my copy of  _ I’ll Give You The Sun _ . It wasn’t the only picture we had of Anna, but knowing that Victor had it felt like a hole in my heart. 

While Nina was digging out the box of pieces from under her bed Amber detailed to us her pitch to Mara about an end of term prom. She’d mentioned it to us before, but Amber decided that while Mara was asking for compensation she should mention the prom as well. I didn’t tell her how unlikely it was that Mara would talk to them about it today because I admired her enthusiasm. Somehow, Amber was able to find a project to pour herself into amid our stressful hunts for the pieces and keeping them from the teachers.

“What would the theme be?” Patricia asked.

“I’m thinking of  _ Midnight In Paris _ .” Amber smiled wide. “You know, the gorgeous city backdrop, great, and even better food.”

“Sounds romantic,” Alfie commented dreamily.

I raised my eyebrows at him, struck by his dreamy tone as he eyed Amber. Patricia noticed this too, and we shared a look of intrigue but neither of us pressed on with his reaction. Nina was almost ready, and I wanted to get breakfast as fast as possible.

“Okay, so I think after what happened with the pieces it’s best we split them up,” Nina started. “That way if Victor searches the house they won’t all be in one place.”

“What if he searches our bags?” I asked.

“Well we probably shouldn’t carry them around all the time,” Fabian noted. “So we’ll hide them separately.”

“We’re all responsible for our own pieces,” Nina emphasized. “There are seven, which means one of us gets two.”

“I’ll do that,” Fabian said. He reached forward and took the most recent piece we’d gotten, what looked like a black bottle cap with the word END on it, and the bent piece that Nina found in the chandelier. 

“Can I have this one?” Amber pointed at the circle piece from earlier. “It’s the prettiest.”

“Sure,” my sister agreed. “Patricia?”

“I’ll take the Egyptian Rubik’s Cube.” She tossed it lightly, causing Fabian to flinch.

“I’ll take this one if you like.” Alfie picked up the one that resembled a candle-stick. “It’s a bit of an awkward shape, like me.”

I smiled at his humor before noticing the two left for my sister and me.

“Guess that leaves these for us.” Nina picked them up. “Do you care which one you get?”

“They’re identical,” I pointed out. 

“Just like you guys,” Amber gasped. “Creepy.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” I muttered, thinking about how Nina was hearing voices and I was seeing ghosts.

“So, let’s swear to guard these with our lives,” Nina continued, ignoring my comment. 

“Sibuna,” we chorused, holding our hands over our right eyes to seal our promise.

Afterward, Alfie was the first to leave and get to breakfast and I quickly reached for my bag to catch up to him. I finally reached him at the top of the stairs, eyeing Victor’s office to make sure he wasn’t in there before speaking.

“Hey, Alfie,” I whispered. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” he said slowly. “What’s up?”

“I just wanna talk to you about the, uh, Jerome situation,” I explained. “I don’t think we should tell him we have the pieces.”

“Oh.” Realization struck his eyes. “You think he might steal them?”

“I mean he did that with the elixir,” I reminded him. “And tried to do it behind your back.”

Alfie avoided my gaze, choosing to look at the ground instead. 

“I know that you trust him,” I continued. “I just think it’s safest, for all of us, if he doesn’t know.”

“But what about Rufus?” Alfie refuted. “We’re running out of ideas, we can sacrifice one piece, can’t we?”

“I don’t think so, Alfie.” I shook my head. “We still don’t even know everything about these pieces, and we don’t want to be giving away anything that we might need. He’s just as bad as the teachers.” I paused, taking in his worried expression. “I gave Jerome my necklace to use. It was Anna’s so hopefully, Rufus will take that and in the meantime until we can think of something else.”

He nodded and his shoulders dipped in relaxation. “That’s better than nothing.”

“So, we’re on the same page?” 

“Yeah, we are.” Alfie sighed.

“Thanks, Alfie,” I smiled, but Alfie didn’t match my expression. Granted, he did look more comfortable knowing we had a plan, however underdeveloped it was, for Rufus. I felt terrible telling him to lie to Jerome, his best friend, knowing how awful it felt lying to someone I cared about. But I knew it was necessary--Jerome couldn’t know that we had the pieces, there was too much at stake and if I didn’t need another thing for Nina to potentially be mad at me about. 

* * *

Our classes went smoothly. Well, as smooth as they could given that we were nearing the end of the term. The stress of finals and term papers felt microscopic in comparison to the stress from the pieces, Victor, Rufus, and whatever the teachers were planning. We may have all the pieces but without knowing what to do with them they were negligent. 

That was why we collectively decided to take the day off—sort of. The pieces were still in good care, but we all needed to take a breather and focus on our school work for the moment. Or, if you’re Amber, the school prom. That was I found myself sitting beside Mara in the living room looking between my biology textbook and my notes, frequently asking Mara questions. She was happy to help and was going through her emails when she started clapping gleefully.

“Good news?” I asked.

“Mr. Sweet’s agreed to the end-of-term prom!” She smiled. 

“Are you serious?” Amber looked up from her magazine to share Mara’s sentiments.

“Just as long as we do the planning,” she explained.

Amber squealed. “Ooh I can see it now: the Eiffel Tower photo booth and a fondue station! It’ll be like in the movies.”

“Have you never had a school dance before?” I asked.

“We’ve had school fundraisers,” Mara considered. “But nothing like you guys would do in America.”

“Wow, that’s weird,” I sighed. “I can’t picture a school year without one.”

“This is so exciting!” Amber continued before gasping loudly. “We have to go dress shopping.”

“Oh God,” I grimaced. “That’s, by far, my least favorite part.”

“We’ll go into town this weekend,” Amber insisted.

As Amber was speaking, Fabian came over holding several sets of forks and knives in his hands. He waved them near Amber’s face, but she didn’t seem to notice as she started mumbling about the type of dress she wanted.

“Amber?” He whispered, shaking the cutlery so they rattled.

She glanced at him but looked returned to her magazine instead of standing. 

“So Fabian,” Mick, seated across from us with a soccer ball in hand, started. “Who are you taking to prom?”

Fabian turned away, trying to busy himself by setting the table for dinner to avoid Mick’s question. There was no doubt in my mind, or anyone else’s for that matter, that he would want to take Nina. We just wanted to hear him admit it.

“A certain playwriting scholarship student with a thing for antiques and apple pie?” Amber guessed.

“Of course he’ll be taking Nina.” Mara stood and joined him by the table. “ _ If _ he ever gets around to asking her.”

I put my notes away when I picked up on the conversation, much more interested in the talk about Fabian’s crush than learning about the life cycle of plants

“Look, Nina, I don’t know why you keep going on about Nina,” he said quickly. “I mean, me and her we’re totally not an item.”

“Come on,” Mick laughed. “You two know that you’re secretly crazy about each other. Well, not so secretly.”

“Yeah, so when are you going to put Nina and the rest of us out of our misery?” Mara pressed.

“Look, I don’t know what you mean,” Fabian denied.

“We could get Nina to ask him,” Mara whispered to me.

“She’d never go for that.” I shook my head. “She’s just as clueless to her feelings as he is. It’s why they’re perfect for each other.”

Mara giggled at my response, as she was the only one who’d heard it.

“It’ll be so romantic,” Amber said happily. “Nina and Fabian. Mara and Mick. Me and my new exciting boyfriend-to-be.” Amber paused before glancing at me. “Oh, Lizzie, I can set you up with one of my friends from Isis House.”

“That’s okay, I’m fine going alone.” I shrugged, though I did feel slightly disheartened.

“I’m sure Jerome or Alfie would take you,” Mara considered.

“Or you could trust me to be your matchmaker.” Amber smiled. “The boys in Isis House are much cuter.”

I rolled my eyes at them, feigning disinterest despite the thump in my chest. “The answer’s no—to both of your suggestions.”

By the time I’d finished, Nina and Patricia had entered the room and were whispering about something. It looked tense, and instinctively I wondered if it had anything to do with the pieces. But they halted their conversation when they saw Mara and Mick in the room, and I decided it was better to wait if I was going to ask. 

“Nina, Patricia, we’re going dress shopping this weekend,” Amber informed them.

“Dress shopping?” Patricia frowned. “For what?”

“For the dance!”

“The dance? What dance?” My sister asked.

“Mara and I are organizing an end-of-term prom,” Amber said.

“How fun!” She smiled. “See, we’ve Americanized you all. Next thing you know you’ll be saying the pledge of allegiance.”

“Huh?” Amber squinted at my sister.

“Nothing,” I laughed. The pledge of allegiance was something I certainly didn’t miss from our public school in Ohio.

“Anyways,” she said in a sing-song voice. “Fabian was wondering—”

“Who you’ll be taking Patricia,” Fabian finished, a blush of embarrassment creeping up his cheeks. 

“Why?”

“No reason, just curious.” He shrugged.

“Uh, no one probably,” Patricia answered.

“Great, good,” he said with a high pitched voice.

“Good?” Patricia asked, her voice louder and accusing.

“No,” Fabian realized his mistake. “Not good, absolutely not good.”

Mick hung his head in his lap, and I tried not to grimace as Fabian stumbled his way awkwardly through the conversation.

“I mean, it could be good,” he continued, losing steam. “‘Cause someone will ask you, eventually.”

I didn’t hold back from shutting my eyes and trying to look away from the scene. I could picture the expression on my sister’s face of disappointment and hurt. 

“I’m gonna go and, uh, brush my teeth before supper.” Fabian left like a dog with his tail between his legs and his head hung low. 

I didn’t open my eyes again until I knew he was gone, and Nina’s face was exactly like I’d pictured it: slightly frowned pursed lips and a watery eye.

“Looks like you’ve got a secret admirer Patricia,” she commented.

“Oh, no way!” Patricia refuted.

“That’s crazy,” I jumped in.

Mara and Amber followed suit with similar sentiments, but Nina still looked grim.

“He obviously wants you to be his date,” she continued. “He was so nervous, he clearly likes you.”

“I’m not sure about  _ that _ ,” Amber commented.

“Uh, yeah he does.” My sister gave out a shaky breath. “I feel like such an idiot.”

“You’re not an idiot Nina,” I comforted her. “Teenage boys are stupid sometimes and they don’t know how to handle their feelings.”

“Agreed,” Amber nodded. “Sorry, Mick.”

“Non-taken, I think,” he responded.

The rest of the girls let out a laugh and Amber started to set the table for dinner. Nina helped, looking glum and following my tactic of distracting your feelings with tangible tasks. I was annoyed at Fabian, but not surprised, for his awkward antics. They’d be going to the prom together, whether it was me or Amber that pushed them together was going to be the question.

* * *

That night I slept soundly, my only grievance being the ridiculous belief that Fabian was interested in Patricia that seemed to be occupying most of my sister’s mind. At dinner, Fabian had returned and asked to speak with Nina, and naturally, we all assumed that he was going to ask her to the prom. I was disappointed, to say the least when she told me afterward of Fabian’s theory about the pieces.

Fabian had pulled Nina aside, not to ask her out, but to tell her his idea that the pieces made up the cup itself and that we had to assemble it. If it weren’t for the terrible timing I would’ve loved this news. He needed to work on his delivery, but that was something I’d wait to bring up until after our chaotic term was over.

So, when Nina told us the news and the plan to assemble the cup in the morning I didn’t oppose it. This time we met a bit later and snuck our breakfast upstairs with us to snack on. Everything seemed fine, except for Alfie. He looked more nervous than the day before. He sat with his legs pulled tightly to his chest, knuckles white with tension. I hoped that maybe it was just his crush on Amber developing, rather than anything worse, but a twist in my gut told me it might be something more than that.

“Okay, what’s this about then?” Patricia sauntered in, slinging her bag on the ground as she took a seat on my bed.

“Fabian and I have a theory,” my sister answered.

“We think all the pieces fit together and form the cup,” Fabian explained.

“Awesome,” Patricia breathed. 

“Everyone has their pieces?” Nina reached into her pocket to grab hers before placing it on the ground in the center of the room.

We did the same and soon most of the pieces were in the center, except for one. Alfie hadn’t moved and was only staring at the pieces in front of him. My stomach sank, realizing why he was acting weird. Still, I tried to be hopeful, even when his frown and wide eyes were making that hard.

“Alfie?” Fabian asked. “Where’s yours?”

“Alfie, what’s wrong?” Amber asked when he didn’t respond.

“Alfie, what did you do?” My sister leaned forward.

“I haven’t got my ankh piece anymore,” he rushed out with a shaky breath.

I covered my face in my hands, knowing who he likely gave it to. 

“Where is it?” My sister continued.

“I was showing it to Jerome—”

“Jerome?!” Patricia questioned.

“Ohmygod Alfie,” I breathed.

“I knew we couldn’t trust him,” Nina cried.

“It gets worse,” he continued. “Much, much, worse.”

“In what way worse?” Fabian urged.

“Jerome took it and gave it to Rufus Zeno,” Alfie told us. “I’m sorry Lizzie, I tried to stop him.”

“You knew about this?” Nina turned to me, her mouth agape.

“I knew Rufus was threatening him bu—”

“And you didn’t care to tell us about this?” She continued. “I thought we didn’t keep secrets anymore.”

“Jerome asked for a few days to get the situation sorted until Rufus was finished—”

“That’s not how Rufus works,” Patricia interrupted. “He’ll keep demanding things.”

“So when were you going to tell me?” Nina demanded, and the rest of the group went quiet.

I racked my brain for an answer but realized that I didn’t have a good one. After Victor raided the house I had no reason to tell the rest of Sibuna about what was happening with Jerome and Rufus unless we needed help getting rid of him. 

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about this.” She shook her head. “We could be putting the cup together right now and instead we can’t because Rufus has one of the pieces.”

Her accusing tone brought a sting to my eyes, and I kept my gaze away from the group so that they wouldn’t notice. I didn’t respond, worried that it would only make matters worse, and knowing that Nina was right: this all could’ve been prevented. If I’d been more determined about telling them right away, and told Jerome no, then we’d have all the pieces.

“Jerome would’ve found another way to get the pieces if it wasn’t through Alfie,” Fabian pointed out after a minute or two in uncomfortable silence.

“We need to find him,” Nina said, taking a breath before grabbing her things. “Now.”

To our dismay, he wasn’t at the table for breakfast, and we ran through the snowy sidewalks to get to the school as quickly as possible. We found Jerome in the Engish classroom and luckily the rest of the class hadn’t arrived yet.

Amber had ditched us when we walked in to help Mara teach Mick how to dance, so we were one member short. Nina, Fabian, and Patricia lead the pack into the classroom, Alfie and I shamefully lingering behind.

Jerome sat unnoticed as he flipped through a small book before Patricia’s voice echoed through the room, making him look up abruptly.

“Okay slimeball,” she said. “We need to know exactly what you told Rufus and how much he knows.”

“Oh, thanks very much guys,” Jerome sent a glare to Alfie and me in the back.

“Forget them, just spill,” Fabian said in a hard voice.

“And why should I?” Jerome questioned.

“You want to live, don’t you?” Patricia sneered.

“I am  _ not _ scared of you guys,” he pointed at the three of them.

“I was thinking more about Rufus.”

“Him I’m scared of,” he admitted.

He relayed everything he’d said to Rufus, and what he’d given him. This included the drawings of all the pieces and the story of Victor stealing the first set—as if Nina wasn’t already upset with me enough. Apparently, he’d also given Rufus my necklace alongside the ankh piece, which I’d allowed him to do but after I heard he stole Alfie’s ankh piece he wouldn’t need to put my necklace at stake, too. 

“So basically, you sold your friends out for money?” Patricia clarified in a snarky tone.

“Friends?” He scoffed. “You are not my friends, you’ve made that quite clear.”

Jerome was eyeing the three in front of us, but after his statement, his gaze found mine behind them. His eyes were still hard, fury fueling his energy, but I noticed a subtle dip in the corners of his lips that filled me with confusion. I was still torn up from Nina’s words, and my knowledge that I could’ve fixed this. I didn’t need his somber, almost pitying, expression making it worse. 

“Listen,” my sister stepped in, the fire in her voice was enough to pull Jerome back to the topic at hand. “If Rufus gets his hands on those pieces who knows what he’s capable of.”

“World domination?” Patricia guessed. “The man’s a control freak.”

“What is so special about these things?” Jerome asked with genuine interest.

“Glad to see you left out some of the important details,” Nina sent a glare over her shoulder at me. “At least you have some loyalty left. It’s like Cameron all over again”

“Excuse me?” I scoffed and stared at her with wide eyes, utterly surprised by her words. 

“Let’s just stay on the topic at hand, shall we?” Fabian offered, looking between us cautiously. 

I huffed, tearing my eyes away from my sister and folding my arms over my chest. I didn’t bother listening to the rest of the conversation, all I could hear was my heartbeat in my ears. Frustration and hurt found it’s way to the top of my chest, and I was biting my lip so much that it nearly tore the skin. 

Bringing up Cameron was out of line, especially when she knew the real story and not the one we’d given Amber and Patricia. She knew how terrible he really was, and how it practically destroyed me.

My eyes stung, blurring the bottom of my vision and I tried to blink it away as I turned, leaving the room completely. There was no point in listening to more of Nina’s snide comments, not when I had no intention of replying. I made it to the bathroom just before a tear slipped down the side of my face. 

The bathroom was empty, but I went into a stall nonetheless. Tossing my bag on the ground I leaned against the side of the ceramic and tried to steady my breathing. Nina and I didn’t fight, and we didn’t keep secrets either. Her anger was warranted and I knew that which is what made this worse. I didn’t think she would relate this bag to Cameron, and I couldn’t see why she had.

“Shit,” I muttered to myself as three tears trickled down my face. I sucked in an uneven breath through my teeth and out my nose, and it seemed to help until I heard the bell for class ring. I was officially late for class, and I was going to be even later the more time I spent in this stall trying to get a hold of myself. 

The last thing I wanted to do was go back, but I’d rather have a tardy on my record than an unexcused absence. So I wiped under my eyes and went to the sink. After pouring water on my face and a few deep breaths, I looked up in the mirror to see my reflection. I looked presentable with the redness gone from my eyes and if I changed my expression. I sighed, practicing my smile before finally leaving the bathroom, an excuse forming in my head for Mrs. Andrews.

* * *

Nina had a plan—as always. She was still mad at me, however, enough so that she didn’t even look me in the eye or speak to me directly as she relayed the plan to the rest of us. We’d gotten Jerome on board with the plan, only because Patricia threatened to tell the teachers, but he was on our side now. I kept myself quieter than usual, feeling especially unnecessary as Nina had already worked out possible worst-case scenarios.

Her plans started with Jerome calling Rufus and offering all of the puzzles, plus access to the elixir. It sounded crazy, and it took some convincing for Jerome to do it but eventually, we got there. Once they were on the phone, Jerome would invite Rufus to the house tonight after lights out by telling him that’s where the elixir was and we needed the pieces to get into it. Then, we’d trap him in the cellar and tell Victor there’s an intruder in the house. Victor would go searching, find Rufus, and then handle the situation.

But Nina, despite her numerous backup plans, didn’t account for Rufus wanting to meet me. In fact, none of us had. It was an odd request, and I could only assume it had something to do with Anna’s necklace. Jerome verified that Rufus knew it came from me, and he must’ve been interested in how it came into my possession. Even though it was rational, I felt unnerved about it.

I didn’t have time to think about that, however, as Jerome and I waited for Rufus in the kitchen. Nina followed her plan to a tee: unlocking the oven door and lowering it before hiding in the pantry with Fabian and Patricia. Alfie and Amber were keeping an eye out in the living room, and would then move to the hallway to get Victor. Jerome would wait with me in the kitchen until Rufus called and then would get him from the front door while I waited in the kitchen, making sure the oven door didn’t accidentally close. 

“Are you nervous?” I asked. He was pacing quietly around the kitchen.

“No,” he mumbled.

“Right.” I sighed.

“What if he catches on?”

“Then we run and get Victor,” I reminded him.

“And what will Victor do?” He asked sharply. “Rufus isn’t scared of anyone.”

“Then he’ll never see it coming,” I pointed out.

“I suppose,” Jerome mumbled, looking up at my face before pausing. He studied my face and I grew uncomfortable under his gaze as he eyed my expression. “How are you?”

“What?” I asked, confused as to why the conversation shifted so suddenly.

“I saw how upset you were earlier.”

I bit my lip, considering my words carefully. “Let’s just focus on the plan and making sure tonight goes correctly. There’s a lot at stake.”

“That didn’t answer my question.” His voice was quiet.

“I know,” I responded, equally as quiet but determined.

Jerome nodded, about to continue when his phone vibrated on the countertop. I jumped, scared by the sudden noise after how quiet we were talking. Jerome snatched it off the counter, whispering into the phone as he went to the front door.

My heart started beating louder in my ears, and when Jerome finally returned with Rufus it only worsened. He smiled at me darkly, a threatening glint in his eyes as he walked around the island counter to meet me.

“Lizzie, right?” He smiled, holding out his hand. “Nice to meet you again.”

After a of moment hesitation I shook his hand, but only to keep him on our good side. Rufus then reached into his pocket and took out Anna’s necklace, the winged charm twinkling in the light from windows.

“Jerome tells me that this necklace came from you?” He clarified.

“Yes, Sarah left it for me after she passed,” I explained.

“Ah.” Realization brightened his eyes. “I hope you don’t mind if I keep it, Anna and I had a very  _ special  _ connection.”

His words made my insides churn, the image of Anna’s crumpled body on the steps of Anubis House flashing in my mind.

“Of course,” I said with a tight smile. In reality, I wanted to tear that necklace right out of his hands without an ounce of regret, but I refrained.

“Alright, let’s get a move on then,” Rufus rushed, glancing back at the entrance. Maybe he was frightened of Victor after all.

“I’ll need the puzzle piece,” Jerome said, holding his hand out.

“What for?” Rufus questioned.

“We need it to get into the cellar,” I explained.

Rufus sighed and stuffed the necklace back into his pocket, exchanging it for the candlestick-esque puzzle piece before handing it roughly to Jerome. Jerome used the piece to lift the oven door, giving Rufus the illusion that the piece opened the door instead of Nina’s necklace. 

“Intriguing,” Rufus nodded. “Ladies first.”

That hadn’t been part of the plan. Jerome glanced at me with slightly-panicked eyes, but I tried to keep my cool as I nodded and followed Rufus’s instruction. Nina would continue with the plan as usual, hopefully, and we’d still make it out okay with the piece. As long as we kept Rufus distracted the plan could work.

Jerome joined me in the tunnel and then the stairs before Rufus finally joined us. Rufus pushed past us, snickering at the tables of glass beakers.

“Are we still trying to make the elixir, Vicor?” He muttered to himself.

Rufus decided on a table in the other room, picking up various test tubes and sniffing them.

“What do we do?” Jerome whispered to me. “When he figures out we don’t have the pieces he’s going to kill us.”

I shushed him, a strange feeling developing in my chest. It was swelling with pain, but not physical pain. It was hurt so deep it gutted your insides and left you hollow: heartbreak. I recognized it, it felt so familiar though I knew it wasn’t mine.

As Rufus took a swig of a blue liquid, Anna stepped out of the adjacent wall. She was staring at him, and as she studied him her gaze drifted from longing to hurt. She came closer to him, her eyes never leaving his as he spat out the liquid he’d drank. When she was mere inches from him, he looked over at her as if sensing her presence, though that was impossible. 

He blinked, and for a moment a smile tugged at Anna’s lips, but then it faded as Rufus shrugged and returned to the table.

“What are you looking at?” Jerome whispered frantically. “We need to come up with a plan before he catches on.”

I didn’t care about the plan anymore, distracted by Anna’s pinched eyebrows and the deep frown developing on her expression. Despite my trust for her, because I had no reason not to, her presence petrified me.

I grabbed Jerome’s hand out of instinct when Anna screamed, causing the current test tube Rufus was holding to shatter. When I did, he gasped, but I elbowed him to remind him to keep quiet.

“Who’s that?” He asked shakily.

“You can see her?” I broke my eyes from her figure for only a moment.

“Now I can,” he met my gaze, eyebrows furrowed. 

“It’s Anna Frobisher-Smythe, she died in 1935,” I explained.

“If she died how is she  _ here _ ?”

“Your guess is as good as mine, Rufus found her body was found on the steps of Anubis House,” I breathed. “Her death was ruled a suicide, but her expression makes me think it was something else.”

“You think Rufus killed her?” 

I nodded. “I’m almost positive.”

“You’d be right,” Anna said, tearing her gaze away from Rufus. “I was hoping you’d understand.”

She stepped away from Rufus, seeming to gain control over her emotions now that she heard Jerome and I whisper. Thankfully, Rufus was still preoccupied, and that wouldn’t last for long. We needed to get out of here, but I was finally learning the truth behind Anna’s death, and for that was reason enough for me to stay.

“I walked in on a conversation between him and Victor about my parents,” she explained softly. “They were angry with my sister and me for keeping the Cup of Ankh from them, despite the numerous times we told them we knew nothing. Victor never liked us, but Rufus and I were close friends when they decided to start their society of eternal life.”

I sucked in a breath, anticipating that this wasn’t going to go somewhere cheerful.

“I overheard a plan one night.” Her eyes grew dark again. “They were going to slip something into our tea to make us willing to talk and give them the details about my parents' excursion. At the time we didn’t know our parents had hidden the pieces throughout the house, as you have figured out, and we had no information for them. I tried to stop them, but when I confronted Rufus he got angry and violent. He demanded that I tell him the information I didn’t have, and when I couldn’t he got so angry that he pushed me.”

My heart was beating loudly in my ears, almost drowning out the sound of her voice.

“We were at the top of the stairs when it happened.” She looked back at him, a frown pulling down the sides of her lips. “And I toppled down the stairs, hitting my head on the banister before landing on the tile. The last thing I remember was Rufus’s face before I went to sleep and never woke up.”

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, my breath catching in my throat. They were the only words that came to mind after hearing her account of her death. 

“I’m not,” Anna said, the energy returning to her gaze. “When I died Sarah became depressed, and when they followed through with their plan to medicate her they only received nonsensical information about our dollhouse from when we were kids.”

“They sabotaged themselves,” I noted.

“Perhaps, but they never knew that.” Anna squinted at me. “When I died I also gained access to something inside me I never knew was there.”

She pointed at her heart when she spoke and her eyes stared into mine intensely. “It’s inside you too, Elizabeth, but it’s not too late for you. You already know what it is, you just don’t know its name.”

“What do you mean?”

“I asked you to help my sister because I couldn’t when she was on the brink of death,” she explained. “Do you remember what happened when she came to you the night she died?”

I recalled the memory, but I’d hoped it was just a dream. My subconscious’ way of processing the trauma of losing Sarah. “I held her hands and then I closed my eyes. I felt a wave wash over me and when I opened my eyes she was gone.”

“You helped her cross over peacefully, Elizabeth.” Anna smiled. “Have you never thought about why you can see me? And  _ only  _ you, unless you’re siphoning your power to someone else?”

She gestured to my hand that was still intertwined with Jerome’s. It was then that I realized how tight I was squeezing it, so I loosened my grip just a tad. What she said made sense. Alfie only saw her when I’d grabbed his arm out of shock, and the same with Jerome tonight.

“Nice to meet you,” she said to Jerome. “What’s your name?”

“Jerome Clarke,” he said in a high voice.

“How lovely.” She smiled. “I’m Anna Frobisher-Smythe.”

“So I’ve heard.” Jerome nodded.

“Wait, go back,” I returned her to our conversation. “What are you saying?” I asked. 

I needed clarification, a name for what she was talking about. Something real that I could ground myself in, not just stories in my mind.

“I’m running out of time,” Anna realized. “But you’ll need this for the rest of your answers.”

“Wait, I—”

She reached into her pocket, pulling out the necklace identical to the one that was around her own neck. I jumped when she touched my own hand, shocked that had a physical presence, before eyeing the necklace as she gently placed it into my palm.

“Take good care of it,” she whispered. She turned and retreated back into the wall of the cellar, sending a shiver down my spine. As she disappeared, Rufus came into view and I watched as he looked up from the test tubes and at us.

“Hey, how’d you get that?” It was Rufus, who was now staring at my hand with wide eyes.

“Oh shit,” I mumbled.

“Okay now we  _ really _ have to go,” Jerome added.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!! This chapter is a bit on the long side, as will the next two since it's the ending! The last two chapters will be up next week so keep an eye out for those. Thank you so much for reading, it means so much to me <33


	28. House of Hush / House of Spies

“Okay now we  _ really _ have to go,” Jerome said, tugging at my hand.

“I asked you a question,” Rufus demanded. He came toward us, reaching for the charm. I didn’t pull back in time and he was able to grab it forcefully out of my fingers.

“It’s not a setup,” Jerome reassured, letting go of my hand.

“I find that hard to believe,” he glared at us.

“I stole the necklace when you weren’t looking,” I lied in a rushed manner. “Jerome didn’t know I was planning on taking it, he had nothing to do with it.”

I fought to keep my expression neutral as Rufus’ eyes danced over my face, looking for an indication I was lying. My breath was shallow—afraid that if I made the slightest wrong move he’d figure it out and we’d be screwed. Thankfully, he rolled his eyes and turned back to Jerome with a set jaw.

“Well, where are the pieces?” He raised his eyebrows. “I’m not getting any younger down here.”

_ Right, you’re just not getting any older _ , I thought. As I chewed my lip to keep my mouth shut, the sound of the front door slamming rang throughout the floor above us. Since the real door to the cellar was connected to the hallway we were able to hear the sound clearly.

“What was that?” Rufus demanded.

“Victor,” Jerome explained. “He must be back.”

“No, no, no,” Rufus mumbled.

“Listen, we’ll go up there and stop him from coming down to the cellar.” Jerome offered as he took my hand again. We only managed two steps before Rufus stopped us, gripping Jerome’s shoulder tightly.

“No, stay where you are,” Rufus refused.

“But what if he comes down here?” I asked, trying to play along.

“Stay where you are,” he repeated harshly. His voice was gritty, showing the anxiety in his tone. He turned away from us, listening to the stairs for Victor’s footsteps. A rush of adrenaline went through me as I realized this was our moment to escape. Jerome must’ve had the same idea because he was already two steps closer to the door and pulling at my hand by the time I turned to him.

And then the lights flipped on as the sound of Victor’s keys jingling radiated from the top of the stairs. I paused, wanting to see what Victor would do. Despite Jerome’s eagerness to leave, he waited and watched as well. 

“Who’s there?” Victor called.

Victor landed at the bottom of the stairs with heavy footsteps, and Rufus stepped out from behind the wall we were hiding. Victor didn’t notice him right away with his back facing us, eyeing the table of test tubes in front of him. 

“Hello Victor,” Rufus said calmly. 

Victor flinched, turning to face him and gripping the table for stability. That was when Jerome and I made our move. He went first, sliding behind the wall and into the secret stairwell, still gripping my hand and pulling me along. He only let go when he had to crawl through the oven door. 

He was quicker than me and there was some distance between us, but not much. I crawled up the path to the oven door, hissing when I scraped my hand on a small rock in my path. I heard a rattle behind me and started to panic, assuming it was Rufus.

I reached the door just as my nerves were starting to subside, but I only saw my sister’s relieved face for a brief moment before someone grabbed my ankle. I gasped loudly as Rufus yanked me back into the tunnel.

“Lizzie!” I heard someone call for me from the top of the tunnel, but I was busy trying to kick Rufus away from me. 

My feet flung around desperately, hoping to make any contact with his face that I could. I heard him grunt as I finally landed on what, hopefully, was his nose. He let go of my ankle instinctively and I scrambled to the top of the tunnel.

“Thank God,” my sister breathed as I entered the kitchen.

“Quick, he’s right behind me,” I said in a rushed voice.

Jerome glanced over me as I sat against the cabinet on the floor, eyes expanding when he noticed the scar on my hand. He was reaching for my hand when Nina started to scream. Rufus was clasping her wrist, preventing her from closing the door. 

Jerome and I sprung to her to help, but Rufus was already out of the tunnel and standing. I reached for the necklace dangling from his pocket, hoping I could sneak it away from him. He noticed me, however, and glared harshly as he let go of Nina’s hand. He used it to push me away from him and I stumbled backward, knocking into Jerome in the process.

As Jerome’s arms went to my sides, preventing us from falling backward, Rufus dashed for the front door. 

“Are you okay?” He asked me, turning me around in his arms. “What happened to your hand?”

“Just a scrape is all,” I said shakily, the panicked energy still going through me. I turned to my sister, forgetting that she was mad at me and wanting to make sure she was okay. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, rubbing her wrist lightly. 

“I’m good too, thanks for asking,” Jerome said. “Meeting a dead person was quite refreshing.”

I rolled my eyes at him but felt a playful smile tug at the edges of my lips. 

“What?” My sister asked, speaking to me directly for the first time since our fight.

“Anna was there,” I explained, recalling the information she told me. My stomach dipped as I thought about how Rufus took the necklace. 

“Did she say anything important?”

“I’d say so,” Jerome nodded. “Rufus killed her.”

“What?!” 

“That’s only part of it.” I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “I’ll tell you the rest tomorrow when I can wrap my head around it.”

Nina opened her mouth to protest, but Victor’s voice resonated through the house, making us flinch.

“Go to bed!” He shouted. “All of you!”

We stayed hidden in the kitchen near the pantry in case he came near us. A few minutes later we heard footsteps enter the kitchen, but they were too light to be Victor’s. And there were two pairs.

“Nina?” I noted Fabian’s voice. Nina recognized it too and went to him in a heartbeat. I started to follow, but Jerome put his arm at the entrance so I couldn’t.

“I’m, uh, sorry about how your sister acted this morning,” he said with a tight expression.

“It’s not your fault.” I shrugged. “I shouldn’t have kept it from her.”

“You didn’t tell her about it because I asked you not to,” he acknowledged.

“You asked for me to give you until Monday, and I did that,” I recalled. “I should’ve told Nina about it after the Victor incident, but I didn’t. That’s on me.”

His eyes stayed on mine as my words trailed off, and neither of us spoke. He looked like he wanted to say something, with his mouth tight and his eyes lowered, but he didn’t. Alfie, however, broke our silence as he came around the corner.

“You guys okay?” He asked suspiciously.

Jerome’s arm left the wall it was leaning on, revealing a worried Alfie.

“Yeah, just catching up.” Jerome shrugged. “I met Anna tonight,” he mentioned as we joined the others in the kitchen.

“You saw her, too?” Alfie clarified. “Isn’t she creepy? Still haunts my nightmares.”

“She can probably hear you,” I pointed out. 

Alfie gulped, but the tension in the room shifted as Nina saw us approach.

“Who can hear us?” She asked, a fearful glint in her eyes.

“Anna,” I answered. 

“You saw her again?” Fabian asked. “Did she react to Rufus?”

“She glared at him the whole time,” I confirmed. “Then she told me a lot of other stuff—weird stuff.”

“Weird stuff?” Nina raised her eyebrows. “Like?”

I hesitated, the weight of Anna’s death feeling heavy on my heart. “She told me how she died.”

Nina grimaced but Fabian was intrigued.

“Were we right?” He asked. “About Rufus killing her?”

“Yes, but it was an accident,” I explained. “Rufus and Victor were planning to drug them to get secrets about the treasure but Anna found out. She went to confront Rufus and they started arguing when he accidentally pushed her down the stairs.”

“Like,  _ those _ stairs?” Nina pointed over her shoulder toward the front hall.

I nodded, not mustering the words to say anything else about her death.

“Did she tell you why you can see her?” Alfie asked, curiously. “And the reason I could see her, too?”

“She did, kind of.” I bit my lip, trying to digest what Anna said to me. “She told me that it was part of our heritage, something in my blood that allowed me to see her. And that this power could be extended to another person if I were touching them.”

“Like when you grabbed my arm in the basement,” Alfie recalled.

“Exactly,” I told him before turning back to my sister. “She gave me her necklace, saying that’s where more answers were, but that was when Rufus noticed something was wrong.”

“Does he still have it?” She asked.

“Yeah.” I sighed. “I tried to get it back when he came out of the oven but he pushed me away before I could get it.”

“We still got the puzzle piece,” Jerome voiced, pulling it out from his pocket. “I hope this is worth it.”

“It is,” Nina breathed, taking the piece from him. “I’m just sorry Rufus got away.”

“Oh, no problemo, Nina,” Jerome said, his tone laced with anxiety.

“Really?” 

“No, not really.” He scoffed. “Look, I’ve kept my side of the bargain—I got you back the piece. Now you need to do the same for me.”

Nina took a step back at the harshness in his tone, and I was equally surprised considering his calm demeanor earlier.

“You have to hold up your end of the deal,” he urged. “Or else—” 

“Or else what?” My sister challenged.

“I’ll go to the teachers and I will tell them everything you’ve told me,” he answered vindictively. “Lizzie’s at stake now, too, might I remind you.” He pointed roughly at me. “Rufus doesn’t strike me as a forgive and forget kind of guy.”

A shudder of fear went through me as I realized he was right: Rufus was going to hold a grudge against me for who knew how long. If I did manage to get the necklace back, which I desperately wanted to, it would only make his disdain worse. 

Jerome left the kitchen without a goodbye, leaving us in his wake. Fabian glared after him, not approving of his blackmailing. Nina, however, shaken or upset she looked, seemed to linger on the end of his sentiment as she studied me with a hint of worry in her eyes. 

I took the worry as an indication she wasn’t entirely upset with me and reminded me of her tendencies to react quickly and think later. We would be okay, even if Rufus and Victor were getting closer to the pieces—I knew we’d get through it.

* * *

Breakfast the next morning was significantly less tense as Nina and Fabian tried to come up with an excuse for Jerome. Anything they came up with, however, Jerome noted that Rufus would mummify him anyways. Patricia urged Jerome to contact Rufus again to try and convince him that Jerome was still on his side. Jerome was reluctant but eventually agreed. 

They arranged to meet during lunch, and to my relief, Rufus didn’t request my presence like he had the night before. The rest of us waited impatiently in the lounge, aside from Amber who was running around the school trying to find her date to prom. She’d set up a profile online where boys from our school could anonymously ask her out and she received a message during breakfast. 

Amber huffed as she sat down next to me in the lounge, folding her arms over her chest with annoyance. She repeated the action when I didn’t initially respond, so I looked up from the homework I was trying to squeeze in to listen to her rant.

“What’s got you so down?” I asked. “The prom is soon, shouldn’t you be ecstatic?”

“I haven’t found out who King Tut is,” she explained.

“Who?”

“The guy who messaged me!” She was offended that I’d forgotten about the details of her love life. 

“Oh, yes,” I remembered. “Who do you think it was?”

“At first I thought it was Mr. Winkler.” She glared at me when I didn’t hold back a snort. “And then Fabian seemed to be more likely.”

“Fabian?” I turned to her abruptly. “The one who’s got a massive crush on my sister?”

“Yes,” she said simply. “I assumed he developed a small crush since we started Sibuna, so I confronted him to turn him down.”

“Ohmygod, how’d that go?”

“He’s not King Tut,” Amber admitted. “It was a huge relief, but now I still don’t know who King Tut is.”

I had a small suspicion about who it might be, but I decided it was better to give her hints instead. I didn’t want to ruin the surprise after all.

“There are lots of guys in this school who are interested in Egyptian history,” I reminded her. “Even others in our own house, too.”

She gasped loudly. “Do you think it’s  _ Jerome _ ?”

“Well, that’s not exa—”

I was interrupted by Nina as she appeared behind us saying, “Sibuna meeting at seven o’clock tonight. Our room.”

“Okay, no probs,” Amber asked. “Though I can’t neglect my search for King Tut. I was just telling Lizzie about how this has been surprisingly difficult.”

“Has Fabian asked you yet?” I asked Nina.

She shook her head at me, still refraining from speaking to me despite last night. 

“Take it from Millington, he is.” Amber nodded. “Why don’t  _ you  _ ask Fabian?”

That was when Fabian turned the corner, his head popping up as he heard his name in conversation.

“Ask me what?” He asked innocently.

“Um, uh, if it’s true that you pluck your eyebrows?” My sister made up. “They’re so shapely.”

Amber and I shared a similar expression of disappointment and disgust as Nina stumbled her way through her lie. 

“What?” Fabian directed his question at Amber and me.

“She’s lying,” we chorused.

Nina gave us an exasperated expression, annoyed that we’d called her out.

“You guys are so funny, you make no sense.” She laughed uncomfortably before eyeing something behind us. “Oh look, there’s Jerome!” 

She ran over and put her arm through the loop of his, guiding him to the empty couch in the lounge. Jerome squinted at her in confusion as they sat down, and unlooped his arm from hers awkwardly.

“So, how’d the meeting go?” The rest of us filed in around them as Nina spoke.

“Oh, well he still trusts me.” He shrugged with surprise.

“I told you.” Nina smiled.

“And he’s told me more stuff about the cup,” he continued. 

“What did he tell you?” Fabian asked with excitement. 

“He sai—” Jerome’s voice was cut short by Mr. Winkler’s presence that indicated the beginning of class. 

“We’ll talk later,” Nina whispered.

The rest of us agreed, but while the other members stood up to join class, my eyes found Jerome’s. I smiled at him, relief coursing through me as I took in his appearance.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” I told him.

“Me too,” he said earnestly.

* * *

“Alright guys, let’s get started,” Fabian said as he closed our bedroom door.

It was nearing seven o’clock, and everyone was here aside from Amber. She’d taken the liberty of sitting this one out, and instead opted to give Mick dancing lessons to prepare for prom. 

“I still think we should’ve gone to the bike shed,” my sister whined.

“It’s almost dark out,” Patricia refuted. “What if Rufus is sneaking around out there?”

“Sounds like something he’d do.” I nodded.

“And what about Jerome?” Alfie added. “Shouldn’t we involve him in this, too?”

“Well, he was trying to blackmail us,” Nina recalled.

“True,” Fabian acknowledged. “But the more included Jerome feels, the better it is for us.”

“And he never told us about what Rufus said,” I reminded them. “So it might be helpful to have him with us.”

We turned to Nina, waiting for her approval over Jerome’s participation. She sighed, rolling her eyes subtly before looking to Alfie.

“I know we’re gonna regret this,” she mumbled. “But go get him.”

Alfie smiled enthusiastically before leaving to get Jerome. Nina sent me a quick glare before she pulled out the box from under her bed with the pieces, and I stopped myself from sending an equally annoyed expression her way. We didn’t disagree often, but when we did it was always hard to reconcile considering our stubborn personalities. Nina seemed to have a version of everyone she’d ever met already built in her head and didn’t want to hear an outside opinion. 

The pieces were on a throw pillow from my bed by the time Jerome joined us. He and Alfie were seated on my bed, watching Fabian, Patricia, my sister, and I attempt to put the cup together. Nina and Fabian were determined, as per usual, and even Patricia was passionate about putting the cup together.

“It won’t work,” Jerome mumbled from my bed.

“Will you just shut up or leave the room?” Patricia asked him. 

“We have to try, Jerome,” my sister told him.

“Nina, I’m telling you it won’t work,” he continued.

“Jerome,” Fabian snapped. “Watch us.”

If I was honest with myself I would’ve realized that I was more trusting of Jerome in this matter. He hadn’t told us what Rufus said, and doing this so simply felt wrong. There had to be more to the process than simply finding the pieces and putting them together. We were missing something, I was sure of it. 

But I didn’t voice my opinion, knowing that it would be shot down by the rest of Sibuna and that it would annoy my sister even more. I followed their lead when we each picked up a different piece and held them together, but my heart dropped when the lights in the room went out. A rumble shook the house as the lights flickered on and off, and a tingle of fear went down my spine. 

“Is this supposed to be happening?” Fabian asked.

“I don’t know,” Nina said with panic.

“Probably not,” I said.

The pieces we were holding suddenly began to heat up, so much so that they glowed a bright orange. I dropped my piece instinctively before I got burned, and when I looked up the lights were no longer flickering. The rumbling had ceased as well, and calm washed over me as I realized we were safe and the house hadn’t collapsed.

“It’s not the right time,” Jerome emphasized.

“It’s eight P.M. what’s wrong about that?” My sister asked.

Jerome sighed, running his hand over his face before his eyes returned to us. “Okay, I will tell you everything, everything that Rufus told me,  _ everything _ . In return, I just want one thing.”

“Before you ask Jerome, we don’t have any money,” Patricia sneered. “So—” 

“Actually,” Jerome cut her off. “I just want in. To your gang.”

“You wanna be a Sibuna?” My sister asked, surprised.

I was shocked, too. I thought back to all the times he asked me about our gang, as he calls it, and in those moments I assumed it was mockery or simple curiosity. I never considered that he wanted to be involved. The more I considered it, however, the more I understood. He’s only ever had Alfie as his one friend, and we took that away from him by making Alfie a part of Sibuna. He just wanted to be involved.

“Okay, you’re in.” Nina rolled her eyes. “Now tell us.”

Jerome’s smile was infectious as he joined us on the ground. Alfie followed suit, and they shared a high five. Jerome settled beside me, and we exchanged an excited glance before he started speaking.

“Right, so, according to Rufus the cup can only be assembled on a very special date, once every twenty-five years. And this date is coming up soon.”

“Soon?” My sister asked. “Got anything a little more specific?”

Jerome shook his head, and my sister sighed. I couldn’t blame her for her frustration, but we knew more information now than we did moments before. At the very least, we knew what questions we needed to ask, and what to look for.

* * *

That night my mind found itself in Nina’s dream—nightmare, rather. Victor was chasing her around Anubis House, and anytime she thought she was safe the rooms started changing and Victor was right behind her. Rufus appeared too and teamed up with Victor to become the common enemy.

I couldn’t say I was surprised that Nina’s dreams were filled with fear of Victor and Rufus, but I understood her urgency more after seeing how her subconscious manifested her anxieties. As the dream continued her fear was almost tangible, and though I knew it was a dream I felt my heart beating wildly against my chest. That was until we found ourselves back in our room.

Nina was still dreaming, and I could see my figure sleeping comfortably under my sheets across the room. Nina mumbled in her sleep, saying Sarah’s name over and over. Sarah appeared in front of her bed, and that was when Nina woke from her nightmare. 

“Sarah?” She asked.

“Here I am,” she replied softly as if Nina had summoned her here.

“Sarah, am I dreaming?” 

She was, but I wasn’t able to interrupt to inform her of this.

“I gave you a present, Nina, why don’t you open it?”

“What do you mean?” My sister squinted at her.

“Twinkle, twinkle, little star,” Sarah sang as she walked backward. Her voice carried as she faded away, and the next thing I knew I was back in my bed, awake and staring at the ceiling. 

I glanced at Nina, who had sat up abruptly when she woke, but when I gave no other indication I was awake she laid back down in her bed. My heart was still racing, as I’m sure hers was as well, but I refrained from going to her after recalling how frustrated she was with me. 

With my eyes shut, I took a breath and attempted to fall back asleep. It was hopeless, I realized after several minutes. My worries flooded my mind even when I tried to shut it off. Another look at Nina told me that she was already asleep once more, having been able to recover from the dream quicker than I. My mind was wildly active and I felt like I had enough energy to run a mile. 

I got up quietly and slipped out the door with a book in hand, hoping a change in scenery and some tea would help me sleep. It had been a while since I’d gone on a late-night excursion through the house, and I was excited about the notion of an undisturbed tea and reading. I needed to clear my head.

But, of course, when I reached the top of the stairs I saw a figure sitting at the bottom of them. I first thought it was Rufus, before my eyes properly adjusted to the lighting and recognized the unforgettable hair. He turned with surprise when he heard the creaks of the stairs under my feet. 

“Lizzie,” Jerome breathed with relief. “I thought you were Victor.”

“Victor wouldn’t be as quiet,” I pointed out while taking a seat beside him on the staircase. “So, what are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” he avoided the question.

I held up the book. “Couldn’t sleep, came down for some tea. You?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” he mirrored.

“And you came to the stairs?” I squinted at him.

A hint of a smile cracked at the corners of his lips, but his eyes were hard as they studied the floor in front of him.

“What’s keeping you up?” I continued.

“I can’t stop thinking about the night in the cellar,” he whispered, hands folding shakily as they rested in his lap. “About what Anna told us.”

I followed his gaze, recalling Anna’s cause of death. 

“When I met with Rufus today he said if I helped him I would be rewarded, but if I didn’t—” Jerome cleared his throat. “He said ‘I think you already know what I’m capable of.’”

A shiver went down my spine as I digested Jerome’s words. Rufus wasn’t aware that we knew he was responsible for Anna’s death, but knowing that he was willing to do anything for the cup of Ankh stirred the anxiety in my gut.

“You’re gonna be okay.” I reached for Jerome’s hand and grasped it, leading him to turn fully toward me. “We have your back, Jerome. This isn’t our first rodeo with Rufus.”

“That makes me feel a tad better,” he admitted with a frown. “But not by much.”

“You’re gonna have to trust us,” I told him, pulling my hand away.

“I don’t trust anyone,” he refuted.

“Not even Alfie?” I raised my eyebrows.

“Maybe Alfie.” He shrugged.

“At the very least, trust Alfie,” I urged. “Because he trusts the rest of us.”

“Do you trust your sister?”

I sighed, hesitating before answering. “I do.”

“Even after what she said to you?”

“I was hurt by what she said, yes, but that she’s still my sister.”

He nodded, and his eyes returned to the ground in front of us. 

“I know you’re not used to trusting people,” I whispered. 

“Hit the nail on the head with that one.” He looked up at me, blue eyes shining in the light from the windows. “Am I that easy to read?”

“Kind of,” I answered with a smile. “Am I?”

“Absolutely,” he snickered. “You wear your heart on your sleeve.”

“Is that a good or a bad thing?”

“A good thing,” he said definitively. “Even if you’re ignoring your feelings.”

“Do you think I do that?” I asked honestly, nervous about where this was going.

“Yes, because I do the same thing.” 

The conversation lulled, and all I could focus on was the look in his eyes. I couldn’t pinpoint what it was: guilt, desire, or both. My breath was shallow as if I were scared that breathing too loudly would cause us to snap out of this trance. I didn’t want the moment to end, I realized, as I studied the rest of his face. I didn’t think he did either.

“What feelings am I ignoring, then?” I asked.

“It’s hard to say.” He avoided the question, but still held my gaze. “I didn’t say we had to stop ignoring our feelings.”

“Right.” I nodded.

“Only if we want to.” Jerome’s eyes lingered over my face, and for a moment I swear I saw him glance down to my lips. 

I must’ve been imagining things, however, because the next thing I knew he was clearing his throat and standing up.

“I should try and get some sleep.” He didn’t look at me as he walked to his room.

“Goodnight,” I muttered, though I doubt he’d heard me.

Feeling disappointment wash over me, I sighed and stood. I returned to bed, no longer having the energy for tea. I was able to find sleep quickly, but Jerome’s words echoed in my mind as I closed my eyes.

* * *

My dreams consisted of nothingness, and when I woke I couldn’t decipher whether I was thankful for this or disappointed. It was a refreshing change of pace to have a dreamless sleep, but my dreams always seemed to unlock some part of the puzzle we were missing. Nina’s nightmares were enough to achieve that, I supposed, but I was unnerved nevertheless. 

When Amber was in the bathroom, doing her twenty-minute beauty routine, Nina came and sat on the edge of my bed. I looked up from my phone to see Nina staring at the ground, biting her lip. I sat up straighter, opening my mouth to apologize but she must’ve had a similar idea because both of us spoke at the same time.

“I’m sorry,” we said to each other.

A smile cracked on her face, and I could feel the edges of my mouth doing the same.

“Me first,” I declared, needing to get it off my chest. “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you about the Rufus thing earlier. I don’t have a good excuse for it, and I should’ve told you the moment we knew that the pieces were at risk.”

“Thank you,” my sister said softly. “I’m sorry I reacted the way I did, I never should’ve brought up Cameron. What he did was unspeakable, and I’m sorry I brought it up again out of spite.”

“I forgive you.” I reached for her hand, giving it a tight squeeze. “I know you were angry with me, it just brings back a lot of memories I don’t want to think about.”

She nodded and sighed before continuing. “I just don’t want you to fall into the same pattern with someone else. You deserve someone who isn’t manipulative.”

“Thank you for looking out for me, but I don’t think I’m anywhere near falling into that pattern again.”

“Are you sure?” My sister said warily. “You and Jerome seem awfully close.”

A chord struck in my chest, recalling Jerome’s words last night.

“Jerome and I are just friends,” I clarified. “And he’s not like Cameron.”

Nina raised her eyebrows at me, and I recalled the way Jerome treated Alfie when we first found out about Rufus.

“I’m not saying they’re exactly alike,” Nina offered, seeing my expression. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“I know, Neens.” She smiled at my use of her nickname. “But I can’t imagine seeing Jerome do what Cameron did.”

“Did you think Cameron was capable of doing what he did?” She questioned.

I hesitated, knowing that she was right. “No, I didn’t.”

“You’ll make the right choices,” my sister reaffirmed. “But in case you don’t, I’m always your shoulder to cry on.”

I mustered a laugh and a ‘Thank You’ before squinting at my sister, remembering the dream I’d found myself in. “By the way, I kind of was in your dream last night.”

“With Sarah?” She asked, her eyes wide. 

“Yeah, and the one before that,” I explained.

“I can’t figure out what she meant.” Nina sighed.

“Sarah wasn’t exactly renowned for her clarity.” I shrugged. “Anna told me that after she passed Sarah didn’t handle it well, and that’s where her issues sprouted.”

“Did she tell you this in the basement?” 

“Oh, yeah.” I realized I never told her all of what happened. I quickly relayed the rest of the details Anna told me. Even the part about me helping Sarah cross over, and that the necklace was the key to learning more.

“But Rufus took the necklace back,” I finished. “So I don’t have it anymore.”

“We need to get it back,” Nina urged. “If it has answers about you maybe it’ll have answers about the cup.”

“We need to talk to Rufus, then,” I told her. “And I don’t know about you, but I’m worried about getting any closer to him with the pieces.”

“That’s true,” she considered. “But we’ll come up with something. We have to.”

Nina wrapped her arms around me, suddenly, and I accepted it wholeheartedly. I hated fighting with her, and I was relieved to have settled our differences. After pulling away we got ready for breakfast, now finding ourselves almost late because of our talk. Nina was ready before me and went down to breakfast right away, whereas I took my time. Part of me was stalling, thinking that if I stayed in my room long enough I wouldn’t have to face Jerome and be reminded of what Nina had said. 

After taking as much time as I could, I finally decided to bite the bullet and join them at the table. When I arrived the members of Sibuna were the only people in the room, with Amber sitting in the living room typing away on her computer. I was headed for the kitchen when I saw Jerome standing there, grabbing some pastries for his plate, and I opted to sit instead.

My sister smiled at me as I sat, handing me a chocolatine that she didn’t want. Fabian raised his eyebrows with surprise, looking back and forth between us.

“Have you two made up then?” He asked.

“Yup,” I smiled. “Everything’s back to normal.”

“Normal meaning we’re still stressed out about the pieces and this  _ special date _ .” Nina sighed anxiously.

“But you two are on speaking terms again?” Fabian continued.

“Yup,” my sister answered while I bit into the french pastry. 

“Thank God,” Patricia breathed.

“Yeah it was getting awkward,” Alfie added.

“Anyways, tell me more about this dream you guys had?” Fabian diverted the conversation. “Do you think Sarah was trying to tell you something?”

“I don’t know, it didn’t really make any sense,” Nina explained. “She said something about giving me a present.”

“The box,” Patricia suggested. “What about the box she gave you after she died?”

“Oh yeah,” Alfie agreed.

“Why didn’t we think of that?” I asked, surprised I’d forgotten about it.

“What box?” Jerome said harshly from the kitchen. “Nobody ever mentioned a box before.”

Jerome left the kitchen and entered the dining room, standing near the head of the table as he looked between all of us. Well, most of us. He avoided my eyes carefully, which I was thankful for. 

“Look, remember our agreement,” he continued. “You tell me everything—”

“Guys I’ve had a breakthrough!” Amber yelled suddenly, diverting the attention from Jerome and onto her. We rushed over to her computer, thinking it would be something about Sibuna. I laughed when I saw the dresses on her screen instead of research.

“Okay, peach, blush, or hazy blue?” She asked.

“What?” Patricia scoffed.

“Prom dresses,” she said as if it were obvious. “Peach or blue? Get your priorities straight.”

Fabian had already walked away by the time she finished talking, and while I eyed the dresses on the screen Patricia and Alfie followed his lead.

“Um, peach,” my sister suggested.

“I like the blue,” I offered. 

“Okay, blue it is,” Amber mumbled.

“Aren’t we supposed to go into town tomorrow? Why are you looking online?” I asked.

“I have to know which dress I want so I can see if it fits properly,” she explained. “Duh.”

“Right, how could I forget?” I asked sarcastically.

My sister and I shared a disgruntled look before returning to the kitchen table. I took the last of my pastry to go, wanting to find Mara before class. Final exams were next week, and I’d been swamped enough with the pieces and other drama to focus on my studies.

I tugged my jacket closer to me as I skipped down the steps of Anubis House. It was already December, though I don’t know how time seemed to be passing so quickly, and the air was brisk with the anticipation of snow. The last snow had melted, but I was certain one would return before our prom next Friday. 

Suddenly, an arm grasped mine and I jumped, so lost in my thoughts I failed to notice someone had followed me. My blood ran cold as I turned and saw who it was.

“Rufus,” I breathed.

“Hello Lizzie,” he smiled warmly. “Long time no see.”

“Wonder why,” I said, anger for Anna bubbling to the surface of my chest as I wrenched my arm from his grasp.

“No need for hostility,” he said as if my reaction was unwarranted.

“What do you want?”

“You weren’t the person I wanted to see,” he admitted. “But I’m glad I ran into you.”

“What do you want?” I repeated, folding my arms across my chest.

“I think it’s quite obvious that I want the pieces.” He took a half-step forward, and I mirrored his action by taking a half-step backward.

“We don’t have them,” I lied. 

“See, I don’t believe you.” Rufus’ eyes darkened. “I’m willing to make you a deal.”

“The answer’s no.”

“Let’s not jump to conclusions so quickly,” he reprimanded arrogantly. “You haven’t heard what I’m offering.”

“I don’t care what you’re offering.”

“Not even this?” 

Anna’s necklace twinkled in the light as he held it up, practically dangling it in front of my face. He laughed at my newfound hesitation.

“Would you like to reconsider?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and for your support!! I can't believe we're almost at the end of this story, it's insane. Last chapter coming soon! Can't wait to start season 2, it'll be under a different story and I'll link it in the notes at the end once it's posted :) Thank you so much for reading, lmk what you liked about this chapter, I love hearing from you <33


	29. House of Sting / House of Never / House of Forever

“Well?” Rufus asked. 

I eyed the necklace in his hand and my gut twisting with conflict. I wanted the necklace— I  _ needed _ the necklace. It had answers about me that I couldn’t get elsewhere, not even from Anna. That winged charm held my fate, and it was sitting in Rufus’ control.

But I couldn’t let him get the pieces.

“It’s still a no,” I said, tearing my eyes away from the silver glint and glaring into his eyes.

His eyes hardened for a moment, but the door to Anubis House creaked open to reveal my sister and Fabian heading to class. While Rufus was momentarily distracted I reached for the necklace, but when he realized what I was doing he grabbed my arm tightly.

“You stupid girl,” he spat, twisting my arm.

I winced at the pain and before I could defend myself he pushed me aside, opting to run from my sister and Fabian as they approached. I spun from Rufus’ force and would’ve faceplanted on the sidewalk had I not caught myself with my arms. The rough stone tore at my hands and I gasped at the sting.

“Lizzie?” Nina asked.

She was by my side in a matter of seconds, holding my elbow to help me stand.

“It was Rufus,” I explained.

“Are you okay?” She picked up my hand.

“I’ll be fine,” I reassured. It was still stinging but nothing serious.

“What did he want?” Fabian questioned.

“What he always wants, the pieces,” I informed them. “He offered Anna’s necklace in exchange.”

“That dick,” Nina swore and I felt my eyes go wide with shock, Nina wasn’t one to swear.

“Tell me about it,” I agreed. “I didn’t take the deal. He got distracted by you guys leaving the house and I tried to take it from him, but he grabbed my arm and pushed me to the ground before I could get it.”

“Where did he go?” Fabian asked, glancing around campus.

“I didn’t see.” I shrugged. “He said that he wasn’t looking for me, but he was glad he ran into me.”

“So he was here for someone else,” Fabian clarified.

“Jerome,” we said together.

“We’ve got to watch him,” Nina urged. “Who knows what Rufus will threaten him with and we can’t trust him.”

She was right, as usual, but a frown still pulled at my lips. We couldn’t trust him, not when Rufus was involved, no matter how much I wanted to. Nina was so right that after classes were over for the day she caught him in our room right before dinner. She caught him with her puzzle piece that he’d taken from her bag.

That was how we found ourselves in Jerome and Alfie’s room after dinner, Jerome sat on his bed like a dog with its tail between its legs. My arms were folded over my chest, angry that he’d proved Nina’s point for her: he wasn’t trustworthy.  _ Maybe he is like Cameron _ , I considered as Nina yelled at him.

“I gave you the benefit of the doubt,” she said. “And you took advantage of it.”

“I thought you wanted to be a Sibuna?” Fabian asked.

“I did! I do, I—” Jerome sighed. “You don’t understand, Rufus threatened me. And this time, he meant it.”

My sister rolled her eyes, and I refrained from joining her.

“What happens now?” Alfie mumbled.

“We find out when the special date is,” Fabian explained. “And we take it from there. Lizzie, can I have Sarah’s box.”

Nina had carried Sarah’s box, but when she started yelling at Jerome she gave it to me. I handed it to Fabian—each of us glared at Jerome when he stood and tried to see what was inside.

“If we can keep protecting these pieces until after this  _ special date _ then maybe we’ll be in the clear,” Nina said.

“For another twenty-five years at least,” Patricia agreed.

“But we still don’t know when the special date is,” Jerome noted. “It could be weeks away, yet.”

“I think I found something,” Fabian said, unfolding a large piece of parchment after handing the box to Alfie.

Jerome stood, but, again, we sent him a unanimous glare and he sat down.

“Look.” Fabian turned the piece of paper for us all to see. “It’s a star map.”

“Twinkle twinkle, little star,” Nina and I whispered.

“Just something Sarah said in the dream,” Nina explained.

“I don’t recognize any of these constellations,” Fabian realized. “I’m going online to check this out.”

“I’m coming, too.” My sister followed after snatching the box back from Alfie.

“What I don’t understand,” Jerome started once they were gone. “Is how Rufus was planning on putting the cup together.”

“What do you mean?” Patricia asked.

“It can’t just be done by anybody, it has to be done by someone special,” he answered.

“Someone special? Like someone chosen?” Patricia offered.

“Well, yeah, someone from a specific bloodline or born on a specific day. It’s all very, very, specific.”

Patricia smiled at Alfie and me, and I realized what her train of thought was.

“It’s Joy,” we said.

“What?” Jerome squinted.

“You know how she left at the beginning of the school year?” Patricia asked Jerome, continuing when he nodded. “Well she said she was away because people were after her dad, and her dad is a part of the same society as Victor and the teachers.”

“You think she’s the one that can put the cup together?”

Patricia nodded. “I have to go tell Nina and Fabian.”

She exited, shutting the door promptly behind her. I considered joining her, but something about Jerome’s stature held me here. He ignored me all day, even when just prior when my sister was confronting him. From the look on Alfie’s face, I gathered he was hurt, too, by Jerome’s actions.

“Why’d you do it mate?” Alfie asked, distraught.

“I told you, Rufus was threatening me,” Jerome repeated.

“Different than before?” I finally spoke, forcing his attention to me. “Why was it this time that you felt the need to steal from us? Especially when we already were on your side?”

“I was just looking out for myself.” He defended with a stern voice.

“You say you want to be involved, but then turn around and go against us,” I continued. “I told you we had your back, why didn’t you trust me?”

Jerome’s eyes focused on mine, and for a moment none of us spoke. I felt my hurt, and confusion, rise to my heart the longer we held our gaze. Jerome was frowning, but I couldn’t decipher whether that was due to his guilt or the fact that he got caught. He opened his mouth but bit his lip instead of saying anything, hesitating to answer my question.

“I don’t know,” he admitted eventually.

I scoffed, folding my arms over my chest. 

“My sister said not to trust you,” I commented spitefully. “I should’ve listened to her.”

I didn’t wait for Jerome’s response as I yanked the door open, rushing upstairs before anything worse happened.

* * *

I spent most of exam week with Mara, hoping her studious efforts would transfer to me if I were in her vicinity. That isn’t possible, but being around Mara helped with my focus enough that I felt I did well on most of my exams. The only exam I struggled heavily with was French—Mara tried to help both Mick and me at the same time which resulted in me being the third wheel and not making progress in retaining reflexive conjugations. 

The end of the week brought relief from the exams, but in its place was the stress of the special date. I woke up Friday morning with a pit in my stomach and having already finished exams there was nothing to distract me. That was until I heard Amber’s scream from the front hallway. 

I stood from the couch in the living room, abandoning my copy of  _ Between Shades of Grey _ on the coffee table as I left. Amber was standing on the staircase, wailing at the delivery box on the ground in front of her, with Mara casting her a comforting glance beside her.

“What happened?” I asked Trudy, who stood near the box.

“She ordered a doll’s dress,” she whispered.

My jaw slacked with realization as I spotted the tiny blue dress in the box. Amber had tried on the dress in the store but opted to buy it online in a different color after we returned.

“The prom is ruined,” Amber cried, turning and stomping up the stairs.

“Oh, Amber, I’m sure there’s something you can borrow,” Mara offered.

Mara rounded all the girls to offer the few dresses we had, but Amber was less than enthused and threw each of them back in our faces.

“Don’t be so ungrateful,” Patricia said as she caught the dress in her hands.

“You helped me pick this dress,” Nina added.

“Well, it suits you,” Amber defended. “But this is me we’re talking about!”

“You complimented mine when I wore it last,” I mumbled.

“Yes but that color clashes with my eyes,” Amber refuted. “It’s useless. No good. I can’t go. Go without me, I would’ve wanted it that way.”

Amber rolled onto her side and pulled up her duvet over her face.

“Amber, you have to come,” Mara urged.

“Not if I don’t have the perfect dress.” Her voice muffled.

“It doesn’t have to be per—” my sister started but Amber threw the covers back and sat up abruptly.

“Don’t finish that sentence.” Amber pointed at Nina. “Finish beautifying and getting ready. It’s bad enough I can’t attend and I don’t want all of my hard work to be for nothing.”

Amber was right, she’d spent more time on this prom than anyone else, and there was no reason her work should go to waste. I did my makeup and hair in the bathroom alongside Patricia, not wanting to remind Amber of what she was missing. I decided on straightening my hair and a simple makeup look, not in the mood for anything flashy.

Putting on my green dress and strapped up my black heels, I admired the way the shiny fabric fell at my mid-thigh and made my legs seem longer. I paired the dress with a gold necklace, though I wished I had Anna’s necklace to don my collarbone instead. 

I was just putting the finishing touches on my makeup when Nina informed me it was time to leave. I put down the mascara wand and snatched my black cardigan from my dresser. I swiped a nude lipstick on before we said goodbye to Amber, who had somber tears in her eyes as she watched us leave. 

We ran into Alfie on the way down, carrying a suspiciously familiar blue dress as he raced up the stairs. The four of us—Mara and Patricia had joined us in the hallway—landed on the entryway where Fabian and Mick were already waiting. We moved to the living room so Mick could give Mara her corsage and Nina could go over the plan for tonight. We may have been more dressed up than usual, but we needed to be focused.

“I hope we can get away in time to meet Joy,” my sister said. “The teachers are gonna be watching us like hawks.”

We planned to give the pieces to Joy without the teachers knowing, and she would hide them so that Cup of Ankh couldn’t be built. 

“I hope Joy can get away from her dad,” Patricia added.

“Oh my word,” Trudy breathed as she entered the living room, interrupting our nervous chatter. “Don’t you all look so grown up and beautiful.”

She smiled brightly before coming over to our group, handing a letter to Patricia.

“This was left under the door for you,” she explained. “Last minute date perhaps?”

Alfie joined us as Trudy went to help Mick secure Mara’s corsage.

“Maybe it’s that guy from French,” I joked.

“The one who always laughs when Mrs. Andrews says ‘pamplemousse’?” Patricia raised her eyebrows. “I sure hope not.”

Before we were able to open it, Trudy started calling for Amber. Alfie rushed over as Amber announced her grand entrance. The rest of the house returned to the entry hall—even Jerome finally came out of his bedroom, though I pretended I didn’t notice. I was still ignoring him, though my eyes drifted toward him as Amber walked down the stairs. Clapping drew me back to the present where I noticed Amber glaring at Jerome—seems I wasn’t the only one annoyed with him.

“I have nothing to say to you,” she huffed. “Dress thief.”

_ Of course _ , I rolled my eyes. Amber was wearing the dress she’d ordered online, a beautiful royal blue with cross-body ruffles. Alfie held out his hand as she landed the last two steps, and adorned her wrist with a beautiful pink corsage. I smiled at the odd couple, happily surprised that they’d found each other.

“C’mon, let’s go over then,” Mick said, taking Mara’s hand. “I wanna try out my new moves.”

They were the first to leave, and Amber grabbed my wrist as she and Alfie followed their lead. I tugged my cardigan closer to me as I made contact with the cold wind. Dressing up was the only acceptable time to wear this little clothing at this cold of a temperature. 

I made it down the steps, granted much slower than the others, but successfully nonetheless. I was feeling confident in my heels and my outfit—too confident it turned out. Seconds into the journey across campus my heel made contact with a patch of ice, and I braced myself for falling backward. I was relieved when I didn’t make contact with the cool concrete but then confused as to whose arms were wrapped around my waist.

“We’re beginning to make a habit of this.”

I recognized his voice, even when I’d spent every moment this past week trying to block it out of my mind. Jerome helped me upright, but the moment I found my footing I folded my arms across my chest and away from his.

“Thanks,” I muttered.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, and I couldn’t help but admire how handsome he looked in his suit. His hair was styled, unlike the unruly mess it normally was, and it made him look even taller than usual.

“Are you still upset with me?” He blurted out. 

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry, Lizzie, I am.” He sighed, eyes dancing across my face before responding.

“I know,” I said. “But I’m still upset with you.”

“Would it help if I told you  _ why _ I tried to steal the pieces?” He offered.

“I already know why,” I said, my tone laced in annoyance. “You were scared of what Rufus would do to you and you didn’t trust us.”

“That was part of it,” he agreed. “But not all.”

When I didn’t respond he took that as a sign to continue.

“Rufus offered me your necklace.”

“What? Why would he do that?”

“He knew you wanted it.” Jerome shrugged. “He said that if I got him the pieces in time he’d give it to me. I know how important the necklace is to you, and that was enough. That’s why I tried to steal the pieces from you guys.”

“For my necklace?” I clarified.

He nodded, refraining from admitting it again.

“I guess that makes me feel a bit better.” Jerome smiled when he heard my statement, but faltered when I frowned before continuing. “So, what favor were you planning on asking for in return when you gave me the necklace back.”

Jerome rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t going to ask for a favor.”

“That’s quite uncharacteristic of you,” I pointed out.

“I suppose.”

“Well, thank you for trying.”

“So, do you forgive me?” His tone was hopeful.

“No.” I rolled my eyes.

“Why not?”

“Because I can’t trust you.” I scoffed. “Not entirely.”

“What does that mean?” He was equally frustrated, now. 

“Some of your intentions were good, sure, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that you tried to go behind our backs.” I unfolded my arms, placing them on my hips. “I understand your good intentions, but I can’t ignore your inability to trust us.”

“That’s what you think of me?” His eyes were filled with hurt, and for a small moment, I felt a flicker of guilt course through me. “Unable to trust people?”

“It’s what you’ve shown me,” I defended. “This wasn’t the first time you went behind our backs.”

Jerome’s jaw tightened and his nostrils flared, but he didn’t refute my explanation.

“And considering your whole ‘I ignore my feelings’ speech the other night, it’s almost like you can’t trust yourself either.” I brought up mindlessly, acting off of the adrenaline in my body. 

Jerome looked up at me abruptly and I faltered seeing his expression. As my heart rate settled, I couldn’t tell if I’d made him angry. I certainly caused a reaction from him, courtesy of the glint in his eyes, but I didn’t know what it was.

“We’re both guilty of that,” he refuted. “You don’t trust yourself.”

“Not when it comes to things like this,” I admitted.

His eyebrows dipped and he took half a step forward. I stayed my ground, wanting to remain firm.

“Things like this?” He asked. “What’s ‘this’?”

“My feelings,” I answered without really answering.

His eyes softened, and it was then that I finally remembered how cold it was outside.

“It’s cold,” I said, starting to turn. “We should get to the dance before they see we’re missing.”

“Wait,” Jerome called, grasping my wrist gently. 

I faced him with my heartbeat echoing through my ears. We were closer now, and my wrist burned from where he held it in his grasp.

“You’re right,” he breathed. “I need to start trusting other people.”

“I’m glad—” I began, but he cut me off before I could finish.

“It won’t be easy.” He paused, eyes gazing across my face. I did the same, noting the way his blue eyes were amplified in the moonlight. “But I think I know where to start.”

“And where’s that?” I asked my voice hardly a whisper.

“With myself.”

I didn’t know what I imagined kissing Jerome to feel like, but this wasn’t what I expected. His lips were gentle on mine, and I was so stunned that it took me a moment to register what was happening. One hand was at the nape of my neck, the other rested lightly on my arm. 

I stretched upward to meet him, still not tall enough even in heels, and dipped my chin into the kiss. Jerome took that as a sign of enthusiasm and his kiss became more determined. I matched his energy by resting my hands on his waist, lightly tugging at the rough suit material. 

The creak of the Anubis front door made me flinch, snapping me back into reality. We jumped apart, equally shocked at what had just happened. I cleared my throat, trying to fix my hair quickly before anyone approached us. Jerome had the same idea and smoothed out his suit jacket.

“Have you two been out here all this time?” Fabian asked as he, Nina, and Patricia neared us.

“Yeah,” we answered together, casually. 

“Why? It’s freezing,” Patricia asked.

“Just gearing up for tonight,” Jerome said to them, a hint of a smirk on his lips. 

I stopped myself from hitting his arm, but that would’ve only made Nina more suspicious.

“We should get to the school,” she said. “We don’t want the teachers to be suspicious.”

“Good idea,” Patricia nodded.

“We’ll join you,” I said. I cast a forced smile to Jerome, and he returned it as we walked to the school.

* * *

Amun was buzzing with energy as we walked through the doors. Students were laughing and dancing their way through the halls, celebrating the end of term with a fun night to let loose. If tonight hadn’t been so important I would’ve relished in the feeling, and we only had an hour of the dance to enjoy before we had to get focused. I spent most of that hour with Patricia, making fun of the underclassmen’s dancing abilities, avoiding eye contact with Jerome.

“Why did the chosen hour need to be on the same night as our prom?” Amber asked as we left the dance floor and started walking to an empty classroom. “The universe is so selfish sometimes.”

“We need to meet up with Joy,” my sister reminded her. “It’s important.”

The letter Patricia received was from Joy, asking to meet in the History classroom. Nina pushed the door open, and we quickly filed in behind her. Unfortunately for us, Mr. Winkler was inside, adjusting his necktie as we entered.

“Hey guys, why aren’t you at the dance?” His tone was cheerful.

“Why aren’t you?” Patricia replied.

“I am waiting for my date with Mrs. Robinson,” he said sheepishly.

If I wasn’t on edge about tonight, or aware of Mr. Winkler’s relationship with Victor and the society, I would’ve thought it was cute they were dating.

“Patricia, what’s in the bag?” He gestured to the brown tote bag she was carrying. “I hope you’re not trying to smuggle contraband into the prom.”

“No, it’s just… girly stuff that girls use,” Patricia said in a high octave. “I can be really girly… sometimes.”

“Okay, you won’t mind if I take a look?” He took the bag from her, much to our chagrin, and placed it on the desk.

I held my breath, willing something to happen to interrupt Mr. Winkler’s search. My willing worked, it seemed, as the door to the classroom shut abruptly behind us. I jumped and my stomach dropped as I registered who shut the door. His face was cold and menacing as he eyed us and in his hand was an hourglass filled with red buzzing flies—I didn’t know what they were but they didn’t look friendly.

“Red Sutekh Sandflies,” Rufus clarified. “Very rare, quite viscous, and certainly deadly. Now everyone does as I say, or I break this glass.” 

He pointed to Fabian with the hourglass. “You, get the blinds. The rest of you, get over there.”

We followed his orders, and my eyes never left the jar of deadly flies as we retreated to the back of the classroom.

“Leave the bag,” he demanded of Mr. Winkler.

Mr. Winkler rolled his eyes but complied, dropping the bag on the desk aggressively.

“Now, you get the elixir and the Chosen One. I want them within the hour or I break this glass.” Rufus instructed.

Mr. Winkler’s fist was clenched, and for a brief moment, I thought he was going to punch Rufus. Instead, he glared at him before exiting the room. As the door shut and Rufus locked it behind him, I felt anxiety brewing in my chest. 

“Oh, apologies Patricia, this time the note was not from Joy. Sorry to disappoint,” Rufus started. “But, at least I get what I came for, the Ankh pieces.”

Patricia stiffened beside me in anticipation, but when I saw her expression I didn’t see worry. I looked back to Rufus, who was rustling through the bag with a frown. He yanked out a small water bottle, tossing it on the desk and looking harshly at us.

“What’s this?” He asked. “Where are my Ankh pieces?”

Rufus emptied the rest of the bag, only finding more water bottles.

“The pieces are safe with Joy,” my sister whispered to me and Patricia.

“Yeah, but are we?” Patricia responded, eyeing Rufus nervously.

“Mr. Winkler will come back,” I said. “Hopefully.”

“Where are the Ankh pieces?” Rufus repeated, stepping forward menacingly while holding the hourglass up.

“Did you really think we’d be stupid enough to carry them around with us?” My sister scoffed. “Today of all days, knowing everyone is after them?”

“You gave them to Joy, didn’t you?”

For as manipulative and dangerous as Rufus was, he was smart. 

“You do realize that she is part of all of this, don’t you?” His tone was condescending.

“She’s the Chosen One, we’re not stupid,” Patricia defended.

“Who wants the cup just as much as anyone else,” Rufus said. “You have played straight into their hands!”

“No,” Jerome scoffed, interrupting Rufus’ ramble. “Trixie he’s a liar, he’s playing you.”

“Oh, really?” Rufus taunted. “Thanks for telling me about the proposed rendezvous with Joy, you’ve been a very useful spy.”

“I did not tell you about anything, you creep,” Jerome defended, rushing forward to Rufus. 

Fabian held him back, worried about what Rufus would do in retaliation. Jerome looked to my sister and me desperately with anxiety in his eyes.

“I did not double-cross you guys, I swear,” he urged. “Not this time.”

“It’s okay, Jerome,” my sister said before I could. “We believe you.”

I was surprised at my sister, seeing as she wasn’t fond of Jerome. He relaxed when he registered Nina’s words, and Fabian let him go. I reached over and gave Jerome’s hand a quick squeeze but he only managed a small nod at me before the conversation picked up.

“Joy’s on our side and you know it,” my sister said. “That’s how you knew we’d be meeting up with her and why you’ll get your pieces when Mr. Winkler brings you Joy and the elixir.”

Rufus frowned, knowing he’d been caught trying to manipulate us. A knock sounded at the door, and we jumped collectively at the sudden noise.

“Jason, are you in there? I’m sorry I’m late, I got a flat,” Mrs. Robinson said from outside the classroom. “Jason?”

Rufus moved silently to the side of the room, hiding in an indent in the wall to avoid being seen by Mrs. Robinson. Anticipation shot through me as I thought about getting Mrs. Robinson’s attention, but one look at Rufus’ hourglass of deadly flies stopped me. She knocked once more before giving up, and disappointment replaced the anticipation in my body.

Patricia’s phone started buzzing, and I saw Joy’s name appear on her screen. 

“What’s that?” Rufus rushed over, snatching the phone out of her hands. “Missed call from Joy, how interesting.” He thrust the phone back at Patricia, newfound energy in his eyes. “Call her back, tell her to meet here immediately.  _ With _ the pieces.”

“No,” Patricia denied.

Rufus’ gaze hardened and he shook the hourglass roughly. “They are getting angry, and so am I. I would think twice about that.”

“Patricia, call her,” Amber begged.

I crossed my arms as Patricia dialed her number—I knew this night wasn’t going to go as planned. All of our hard work was going to be for nothing if Rufus, or the teachers, got their hands on the pieces. 

“It rang, but now it’s switched over to her voicemail,” Patricia explained when the call didn’t connect.

Rufus took the phone back from her and dialed the number himself. A moment later he threw the phone across the room, shattering it against the whiteboard. I flinched at his outburst and instinctively took a step in front of my sister.

“Hey, you’re paying for that,” Patricia told him.

“Sit down!” Rufus’ angry voice filled the classroom.

We followed his orders, and Nina held my hand tightly as we sat together in the middle of the room. 

“Time is running out for you people,” he noted.

I rubbed my hand against my temple, not caring if it messed up my makeup. Nina’s leg was shaking beside me, and I could feel her anxiety radiating off her. As I studied the ground, a glint of silver caught my eye near the front row of desks. It was Anna’s necklace. 

I elbowed my sister, subtly enough that Rufus didn’t notice. She gave me a quizzical look, but when I subtly gestured to the floor her mouth fell agape. Before Rufus caught our exchange, another knock came from the door and he flew against the whiteboard to avoid being seen.

“Jason? I don’t know if you’re in there or not, but if you are, listen to this,” Mrs. Robinson started. “I don’t respond well to getting stood up, we’re through.”

“Feisty,” Alfie muttered.

“Looks like we’ve all been dumped,” Rufus mumbled as he relaxed. “Your teachers have clearly abandoned you to your fate.”

I shivered, realizing the depth of Victor’s desire for the elixir. He was willing to do everything for it, and so was Rufus. That’s what made them so dangerous. If they were working together, they’d be unstoppable. And apart, getting caught in their crossfire was your worst nightmare. 

Rufus leaned on the front of the desk, eyeing the hourglass in his hands. 

“It’s over Rufus. Why don’t you just let us go?” Fabian yelled.

“It’s not over until the hour itself is over,” Rufus explained, waving the hourglass as he spoke. “They’re probably putting the cup together as we speak.”

“Maybe they’ve already done it, beaten you to it,” Fabian refuted. “It’s time to give up.”

“No, you’re all still alive, so clearly they haven’t drunk from the cup.” Rufus shrugged.

My stomach dropped as I listened to Rufus. Nina had a similar thought because she squinted at him before she spoke.

“Run that by me again?” Her voice was shaky. 

“Oh, yes,” he smiled. “Victor and the others think it’s all symbolic—the tipping of the scales. A symbolic transfer of life force from the young to the old. Only immortality comes at a price.”

“And by ‘a price’ you mean…” Nina began.

“It’s one life for another, my dear,” he clarified before turning to me. “And I think I saw your name down there in the cellar, Lizzie.”

“Oh my God.” I gasped, turning to my sister. “The coins I found in Victor’s office.”

“What is he talking about?” Jerome called out from behind us but no one responded.

“Fabian, the coins Lizzie found, and the scales—” My sister started.

“Nina, don’t worry, it’s gonna be okay,” Fabian offered.

“I still have time to relieve Victor of the cup,” Rufus realized before his gaze looked on my sisters. “You. You are coming with me.”

I grabbed my sister’s wrist and pulled her from the seat. I reached for her other arm, and Rufus glared at me as I held Nina in place.

“Not if I have anything to do with it,” I commented.

Rufus smirked and shook the hourglass in front of my face. I frowned, confused at what he thought he’d accomplished before I realized, too late, what his plan was. He threw the hourglass across the room and I followed it with my gaze, trying to catch it before it landed. In the process, I let go of Nina’s hand, and Rufus was free to pull her out of the classroom. That was if Fabian hadn’t gotten in their path.

Luckily, Alfie caught the hourglass before it shattered, yet Amber still let out a scream at the sight of them so close to her. Fabian tackled Rufus, knocking the key out of his pocket. While Rufus was distracted I reached for the necklace, but someone had knocked it away in the chaos. 

I looked up to see Jerome unlocking the door and ushering everyone out, our eyes connecting in the haste. He gestured for me to join them, but I couldn’t leave the necklace behind. My mind scattered, I searched the floor for the winged charm as quickly as I could, and I let out a sigh of relief when I spotted it. I snagged it, but as I touched it Rufus’ hand clasped around my wrist.

“Not a chance,” Rufus grumbled as he tugged roughly at my arm. 

I resisted, not willing to let the necklace go again. I heard footsteps behind me before a pair of arms lifted me off the ground. I knew it was Jerome—I could tell from the cologne. Rufus wasn’t able to get to his feet, unlike me, and an idea popped into my mind quickly. Without hesitating, I kicked Rufus in the face—making that the second time I’d had to do so. 

Rufus cried out as the point of my heel made contact with his cheekbone, and he let go of my wrist. Now free, Jerome led me out of the room before taking the hourglass from Alfie. He threw it inside and shut the door as I leaned against the lockers.

“Rufus—” my sister began.

“It was him or us, Nina,” Jerome defended.

“I got the necklace,” I said.

Nina smiled briefly before a look of panic crossed her face.

“We have to warn the teachers,” she breathed. “They can’t drink from the Cup of Ankh.” 

“What happens if they do?” Jerome asked, still not up to speed on Rufus’ explanation.

“One of us dies,” I informed him.

“Dies?!” Amber asked.

“Y-yeah, but there’s no need to be scared,” Fabian said unconvincingly.

“Then let’s get over there and stop them,” Jerome exclaimed.

My sister didn’t hesitate, and neither did we as we ran to the house in the cold.

* * *

By the time we rushed through the front doors, I couldn’t feel my toes. I was shocked I didn’t slip on the walk over, but even more shocked to find Joy waiting casually in the front hallway. Patricia ran to hug her while the rest of us filed inside. 

“Oh, Patricia you’re safe,” Joy said with relief.

“What happened?” Patricia asked.

“Nothing happened,” Joy explained. “I’m not the Chosen One, there is no Cup.”

I tilted my head in confusion, ignoring the chill down my spine.

“They told you that being the Chosen One was something to do with your birthday, right?” Nina asked.

“Yeah, the seventh of July,” Joy clarified.

Nina and I shared a knowing glance, and Fabian picked up on it.

“What?” He asked. “What’s that look for?”

“Our birthday is the seventh of July, too,” Nina answered.

“Joy, you were born at seven in the morning, right?” Fabian asked. “The seventh hour on the seventh day of the seventh month?”

“No, seven in the evening,” Joy corrected.

“Nina, Lizzie?”

“I don’t know.” I sighed.

“Sometime early in the morning, I think,” Nina offered.

“I bet it was at seven o’clock.” Fabian smiled. “The true seventh hour.”

“It would be the Americans, wouldn’t it?” Jerome commented, sending a smile in my direction.

“It’s a quarter to one, we’ve only got fifteen minutes left of the chosen hour. Where are the pieces?” Fabian urged.

“Still down there, I think.” Joy pointed to the cellar.

“Guys?” Fabian raised his eyebrows at us.

Nina and I shared another glance, and Sarah’s voice whispered through the air.

“Make the cup,” she encouraged.

I knew Nina heard it because her eyes went wide when Sarah spoke. I nodded, telling her I was on board.

“Let’s do this.” My sister agreed.

In the cellar, Victor had placed all of the pieces on a table in the center of the room. Behind them were the scales, each holding a coin with one of our names on it. 

“How’s it supposed to work if there’s two of you?” Patricia asked.

Nina and I shrugged in unison.

“Which one of you is the older twin?” Joy asked. “Maybe that’s who’s the true chosen one?”

“I’m the older one,” I explained, however, I was skeptical of Joy’s hypothesis. 

“You have to say an incantation while you put it together,” Joy continued. “‘With the circle of light, I seal the circle of life.’”

I picked up the staff of the cup in one hand and the bowl in the other, trying to ignore the weight of everyone’s eyes on me as I said the incantation. After balancing the bowl on the staff I grabbed the ring to go around the top and repeated the incantation once more as I secured it in place. 

“Nothing’s happening,” I realized. “Did I do something wrong?”

Joy shook her head. “No, you did everything correctly. It should’ve worked.”

“Maybe I’m not the true Chosen One.” I looked at Nina. “You should try.”

“We were both born in the seventh hour,” Nina commented. “If I didn’t work for you it won’t for me.”

“Try anyway,” I urged.

Nina bit her lip but flinched when I grabbed her hand. I pointed across the table at Sarah’s figure, who smiled at us sweetly. Nina gasped but looked glad to see her.

“This is your destiny,” Sarah explained. “Make the cup.”

My sister nodded, squeezing my hand for security as she studied the pieces in front of her. Sarah gave us a smile of approval before fading, and I returned her expression.

“Okay, I can do this,” Nina mumbled as she let go of my hand.

She said the incantation twice, but this time as she placed the pieces together they started to glow. Her necklace did the same, and it was as if a magnetic force pulled her necklace to the cup. When they collided a column of light sprouted from the cup and only died down after the pieces stopped glowing. 

The Cup of Ankh was complete, and we were in awe as we eyed the object. It didn’t feel real, staring at the thing we’d been searching for so desperately this term. 

“That’s the most beautiful accessory I’ve ever seen,” Amber commented.

“You did it,” Fabian congratulated.

“I did.” Nina relished in the victory for only a moment before returning to her serious face. “But now I have to hide it for good.”

Amber’s scream radiated through the stone cellar, and my eyes landed on Rufus. His face was covered in boils, but he was still alive. He held a fist in front of Amber's face and he eyed the Cup of Ankh from where he stood.

“Not unless I have something to do with it,” Rufus said.

“Rufus!” Jerome exclaimed.

“I knew it!” Alfie echoed. “The bad guy always comes back.”

“Did you think I would expose myself to the  _ deadly _ Sutekh Sandfly without first equipping myself with an antidote?” Rufus laughed. “And now, I have the Queen—which I will put in this pretty girl’s ear unless you do exactly as I say.”

Rufus sneered at my sister and me before continuing.

“You, give me the cup,” he said to Nina before looking at Fabian. “You, get me the elixir. 

“Quickly!” He yelled. “We only have a few minutes.”

He got close to Amber’s ear and her scream echoed through the small room. My heart raced through my ears as I tried to look at the situation for a way out. I considered throwing my shoe at Rufus, as the bloody bruise on his cheek was evidence that did their job. But any scenario I came up with resulted in the Sutekh Sandfly being released and stinging at least one of us. I couldn’t take that risk.

My sister’s lip quivered as she handed the cup to Rufus.

“Now pour it in,” he instructed Fabian, not releasing Amber. “All of it!”

Fabian grumbled but complied and dumped the contents of the elixir into the Cup.

“I’m leaving nothing for those traitors,” Rufus mumbled.

He threw Amber toward Alfie and squished the Sutekh Sandfly in seconds of acquiring the elixir. He downed the cup just as Victor came down the stairs.

“No!” Victor yelled.

“Oh, Victor, how lovely to see you.” Rufus laughed. “Sorry, there’s none left.”

He titled the cup upside down and the smile on his face stirred nausea in my stomach, and it only got worse as Rufus opened the fireplace and placed the cup inside. My sister ran forward to stop him, but I held her back. 

“Why Rufus?” Victor said in a hoarse voice. “Why? We could have shared all this. That was our plan.”

“That was your plan, Victor,” Rufus denied. “I always had other ideas. Big ideas that your pathetic little society could never dream of.”

“Like murdering Anna Frobisher-Smythe?” I interrupted, anger bubbling in my chest more than the boils on his face.

He turned to me sharply, eyes filled with surprise at the mention of it, but not anger.

“What are you talking about?” Victor asked. “That’s not true, child.”

“I’m afraid it is, Victor,” Rufus admitted coolly. “Though it was never in the plan.”

“Right, but the part about drugging Anna and Sarah was,” I continued.

“Watch your mouth.” Rufus glared as he took a step forward, but Victor pulled him back. 

“You know as well as I do that she is correct,” Victor defended.

Anna’s necklace burned in my pocket, but I didn’t dare take it out to remind Rufus that I had it. Rufus shoved Victor away and didn’t go after me, thankfully. 

“When I found out the true meaning of the scales,” Rufus returned, begrudgingly, to the topic at hand. “I decided to go in alone.”

It was then that I remembered the scales, and how one of us was destined to die in exchange for Rufus’ life. 

“Is anyone feeling,” Rufus paused, considering his word-choice. “Poorly?”

No one spoke for a moment, and I held my breath in my chest. That was until Alfie groaned.

“Actually, I don’t feel so good.” Alfie toppled on his side, landing on the ground with a thud. I raced over, kneeling beside Jerome and Amber as Alfie cried in pain. I held his arm, yet something in my gut told me that he was going to be alright. I couldn’t tell whether that meant in our world or Anna’s.

“What’s happening?” Victor asked.

“The symbolic life force—it isn’t symbolic, Victor,” Rufus taunted. “It really happens. That boy is gonna die, and I am gonna live forever.”

Victor joined us at Alfie’s body, grasping his wrist to check for a pulse.

“Alfie, buddy,” Jerome urged. “Please, don’t!”

I heard Rufus’ footsteps run up the stairs of the cellar, leaving us in this chaotic moment. 

“Please let him live,” Amber begged. “I’ll do anything.”

“Anything?” Alfie asked. “Like, be my girlfriend—?”

“Yes, Alfie anything!” Amber rushed out. 

“Alfie,” Fabian said in a calm tone. “You can stop faking now.”

“Fabian!” My sister chastised. “You know what happens when someone drinks the elixir from the Cup of Ankh.”

“Except Rufus didn’t drink the elixir, did he?” Fabian asked rhetorically.

“What?” We chorused, everyone turned to Fabian for an explanation. Alfie sat up on his elbow, perfectly fine but interested in what Fabian had to say.

“He’s not immortal,” Fabian added.

“He’s not?” Victor asked.

He nodded, gesturing the empty bottle at Patricia. “You know your little insurance policy—having two bags and having Joy look after the pieces?” 

“Yeah,” she confirmed.

“I had an insurance policy of my own,” he told us. “I remembered our fake elixir. So I took the key from Victor’s office and snuck down here, throwing away the real elixir and replacing it with the fake one.”

“You threw it away?” Victor stumbled upright, gripping the desk in disbelief.

“You’re a genius,” my sister exclaimed, giving Fabian a large hug.

Victor retreated up the steps, meanwhile, the rest of us shared a clap for Fabian. Jerome helped me stand from where I’d been kneeling on the ground before giving a hug to Alfie. 

“So, does that mean Alfie’s not really dying?” Amber asked for clarification.

“Don’t sound so disappointed,” Alfie said. “I actually did feel a bit ill for a second.”

“Alfie, I was really worried.” Amber crossed her arms over her chest. “And worrying causes wrinkles.”

I laughed at Amber’s half-hearted annoyance, thankful that things were back to normal. The group headed up the steps, remembering there was an hour left of the dance we could attend. I was the last one up, and as I cast a glance back at the table I saw something—people.

“Nina, come here,” I called. 

“What is it?” She asked. “Is everything okay?”

“There’s someone I’d like you to meet,” I smiled at her.

“Who else is down here?” She mumbled as she walked down the steps. “Lizzie, I don’t see anyone.”

I rolled my eyes and took her hand in mine, pulling her to the table again.

“Oh wow,” she said, noticing the Frobisher-Smythe’s. 

“I’m Anna, it’s so nice to finally meet you.” Anna smiled, smoothing out the pleats on her paisley dress.

“Hi,” my sister breathed. “Sarah?”

Sarah was standing beside Anna—they were holding hands, too.

“It’s not over,” Sarah said to us. “Take the cup.”

They gestured to their left where the Cup of Ankh now sat in the unlit fireplace. Nina snatched it, momentarily letting go of my hand before returning. She held out the Cup for Sarah and Anna to touch, and suddenly their parents appeared beside them. They were all the same age they were when they passed away, all of them young aside from Sarah.

“Now that the Cup has been restored, the curse can be lifted,” Sarah explained. 

“We can rest in peace,” Anna emphasized, sending me a wink.

“Take it,” Sarah continued. “Hide it, keep it safe.”

They started to fade, and my eyes stung as I watched them disappear. Nina sniffled beside me, and I pulled her into a tight hug. We cried together—for the Frobisher-Smythes, the Cup of Ankh, Rufus’ mortality, and everything else that happened tonight.

* * *

Nina and I returned to the dance later than everyone else, having also needed to fix our makeup from crying. Fabian was delighted to see us finally walk in—probably nervous that something had happened to Nina. As she ran into his arms, I stood beside Jerome. He shot me a bright smile, one that I returned equally before the music stopped.

We turned our attention to the stage to find Amber, in all her prom glory, standing at the microphone and tapping on it.

“Okay guys, I’ve decided it’s time to announce our prom King and Queen,” she announced. “We haven’t had a chance to vote yet, so I get to decide.”

I laughed as Alfie adjusted his bowtie preemptively.

“So without further ado, the Prom King is…” she paused. “Fabian Rutter.”

I clapped, watching Fabian’s awkward smile as he joined Amber on stage.

“And the Prom Queen,” Amber continued. “Is Nina Martin.”

Nina’s jaw dropped, but I cheered as I pushed her toward the stage. Amber whispered something to them as she put on their crowns, and they both flushed. I smiled seeing my sister dance awkwardly with Fabian, glad that they were finally having the moment they needed.

I turned away to give them privacy and found Jerome smirking at me. His expression broadened as he moved so he was completely in front of me, and reached out his hand elegantly.

“Care to dance?”

“I’d love to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks so much for reading <3 can't believe I finally finished this hahaha, keep an eye out for the next book in the series! Let me know what you thought of the ending, and if you have any theories about what's coming for season 3 :) Thanks again, it means so much to me <3


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